


Siúil A Rúin

by BlueStarPaladin, MsBluebell



Series: Space Moms Write Klance [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: 31 Days Of Halloween, Alternate Universe - Fae, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Annwan, Bottom Keith (Voltron), Celtic Mythology & Folklore, Dubious Ethics, Dubious Everything Because They're Fae, Dubious Morality, Fae & Fairies, Fantasy, Guys Just Kiss Already, Halloween, Hate to Love, He Tries To Kill Himself Twice Out Of Sheer Fustration, He's The Son Of A Death God, Hurt/Comfort, Keith's Dad Just Wants To Bond With His Son, Krolia Just Wants Her Son To Not Die, Lance Is A Sea God's Son, Lance Just Want's Keith To Give HIm His Real Name, Love/Hate, M/M, No Slowburn We Die In An Inferno, October, Possessive Behavior, Samhain, Shiro Is The Only Reasonable One, The World's Worst Courting Practices, Titania - Freeform, Violence, it doesn't work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-07-16 13:53:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 65,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16087457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueStarPaladin/pseuds/BlueStarPaladin, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsBluebell/pseuds/MsBluebell
Summary: Lance and Keith are kings of their own domains, ruling over their own thralls and establishing their own reputation among other fae. The only problem is that they hate each other, so when they're both cursed by Allura and Lotor, unable to move a foot away from each other, the world turns upside down.Lance and Keith have to work together to break the curse, all the while trying to survive the Samhain, night of the dead. With the blood of a death god within him, Keith finds the lullabies of the hounds in the sky too hard to resist. But even then he can't let Allura and Lotor win, which means he'll have to survive the Samhain and deal with Lance's bullshit.





	1. The Hunt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **General Rules for interaction with Fae to help with context in this story:**
> 
>   1. Be Polite – do not insult, interrupt, or say anything to anger or offend a Fae – you don’t want that kind of trouble in your life. They have quick tempers.
>   2. Iron is both poisonous to the Fae and shaped iron is offensive.
>   3. The Fae love gifts, but make sure they are sweet (honey is the general favorite), shiny (gems, crystals, etc.), natural, and most importantly, expensive. A gift that is not quality will be seen as an insult.
>   4. Time spent with the Fae is different than earthly time. Think Rip Van Winkle to give you an idea.
>   5. NEVER SAY “I’m Sorry” to the Fae.
>   6. NEVER SAY “Thank You” to the Fae. “You are most kind" is as close as is safe. Saying thank you will result in them thinking you owe them and taking you as a thrall for repayment.
>   7. When the Fae speak … listen very carefully because often there is much they are saying that is unsaid. Do not take anything from them unless they tell you what they're giving you is free or you'll be enslaved.
>   8. Do not ask questions. Questions are rude.
>   9. The Fae are protectors of the earth so if you fuck up their land or any land under their protection they will fuck _you_ up.
>   10. Fae always keeps promises, though very rarely is a Fae promise given, but if it is they will keep their word even if it means their own death.
>   11. Be wary of any agreement made with the Fae, they are masters of manipulation and loopholes. 
>   12. Fae do not operate on the same morality as humans. It is best not to think of them with human morality in mind.
> 


* * *

_“I was born on the night of Samhain, when the barrier between the worlds is whisper-thin and when magic, old magic, sings its heady and sweet song to anyone who cares to hear it.”_

\- Carolyn MacCullough

~

Normally Samhain was a time where Fae would be stalking the woods, waiting for someone, any mortal, to slink from the edge of their celebrations and move close enough to the woods for them to be pulled into a glamour. The end of harvest and the beginning of the dark year was a good time for Fae to find themselves drunk on wine and magic, with rituals renewed by fires. It was easy to gain servants during this time, gullible children who wandered too far from their mothers and removed their masks, taking sweets from strangers with hidden faces. The Hounds of Arawn stalked through the night sky, leading lost souls back to the underworld, Annwn. The Horned God often danced, taking the form of a mortal man in isolated villages, seducing women and planting a seed for his Wyld Hunt.

That is what would normally happen anyway. This year, however, things were different.

Keith was pretty sure this all happened because of Oberon and Titania, otherwise known as Lotor and Allura. He’d heard they were fighting lately, something to do with a changeling, but Keith hadn’t bothered with the rumor too much. As long as they didn’t drag his realm into it he didn’t care. They could tear Tir Na Nog, their own realm, appart for all he cared, but if they left his lands alone then there wasn’t a problem.

That is, until they started dragging everyone else into their little spat. Now, here he was, on the first night of Samhain, drinking wine at a party instead of locking himself safely inside his home as he ought to be doing.

He completely blamed Lotor and Allura if anything should happen.

At least the fire was nice. The location was a good one, in a nice, neutral spot in mortal lands. The bonfire burned bright and warm, surrounding the dark woods in its warm light. And the mulled wine tasted honey sweet on his tongue. The ring of mushrooms grew as he watched other Fair Folk dance, their bodies twisting and weaving with the shadows. There was soft flute blown music in the air that was pleasant to his ears.

Pidge was here too, and he enjoyed her company. Pidge was a strong ally, dare he even say friend? Yes, he enjoyed her company, even if she was rude. It would be better than Shiro right now, who had become deeply entangled in Allura’s mess.

Keith hummed, moving feather light over the fallen leaves, a hollowed out horn of wine in hand. There was a sweet, honey, smell in the air, and a crisp wind blew as he passed. He could vaguely make out the distant form of Hunk near the fires, the Fae having somehow lured a lessor Fae into a dance with him.

Pidge was, as she was wont to do, settled into a tree. She preferred to take the form of something akin to a Dryad, her body twisting with branches sinking into roots. She hated being involved with the other Fae as much as he did, and he could tell by her annoyance that she would rather be in her realm or stalking the forest than mingling with others right now.

And then as his eyes roamed over the crowd, Keith spotted another familiar figure among his fellow Fair Folk. It was hard to miss someone like Lance, especially when it came to his obsession of wanting to stand out from anyone else around him. A new day, a new look. That is a notion that Lance followed religiously, and today was no different.

Keith felt the need to roll his eyes as said Fae danced among his human servants, harbouring large blue avian wings, tail feathers that were many different shades of blue, as well as upper clothing that barely covered the sides of his body. Lance was a show-off, and used every opportunity he could get to be the centre of attention.

The mere sight of Lance was annoying, but as he attempted to look away glowing blue eyes moved onto his own, lips curving as they established eye contact. There it was; a headache was on his way to him.

To save himself the trouble, Keith decided to turn his attention onto Allura, Lotor, and Shiro who didn’t seem to be any closer to resolving the issue. Not like Keith suspected this would end on a peaceful note. That’s not how the rest of the Fair Folk usually worked. It would be childish of _anyone_ to think that this could end in a peaceful agreement, much less himself who is a powerful Fae with a realm of his own. No, he knew better than that.

The only one he felt true pity for was Shiro. Then again, all he can do is wish him luck and hope that both Allura and Lotor don’t start a war. He’d hate to get involved in one of those.

“M’lord.”

Keith tilted his head to the side when addressed, spotting one of the female human servants standing next to him. She had a wide smile on her face, wearing a white dress decorated with pink flowers on her shoulders. Allura’s servants were distinguished by these clothes, separating them from the rest of the human servants that were walking around and catering the Fair Folk.

Although compared to the rest of Allura’s servants, this one had her dress unbuttoned further down her cleavage, leaning closer to him as she entered his personal space. “Someone as beautiful as yourself shouldn’t be standing here all alone. If you allow me to, I’d like to-” Keith waved his hand, the servant quickly vanishing as the illusion was broken.

Violet eyes flew over to the one responsible, and of course, Lance was already laughing in amusement, so proud of himself. The Fae with blue avian wings, turned to him with a smile on his face, pointing fingers in a mock shot at him before winking.

Maybe if this was done better, Keith would give him credit for it. But this? It was just terrible.

Keith gave an annoyed huff, taking another sip of his wine as he turned towards his destination. Pidge watched as he approached, her face twisted into annoyance as her branch-like legs twisted and weaved into the earth beneath her.

“You saw.” It wasn’t quite a question, but it was close enough that he expected her to pick up on the wanted information. Pidge was a clever Fae, and just as impatient as him when it came to the verbal jousting that made up conversation between their species.

“It wasn’t even a good trick.” Pidge moved her body upwards, resting it within the strong oak she’d selected for the party, “I wouldn’t put it past Titania's servants to try, but the approach was wrong. Lance didn’t even choose a good creation.”

“He never does.” Keith sipped his wine, letting the warm drink soothe his annoyance away. Spiced wine was a favorite of his, and perhaps the only reason he hadn’t simply left yet.

“One would think he’d know you better by now.” Pidge huffed, the telltale signs of boredom seeping in her voice. A dangerous state for any Fae. Still, he couldn’t say he wouldn’t find himself in such a state either if something didn’t change soon.

“One would think.” Keith shrugged, uncaring, “He’s certainly made himself enough of a nuisance. He interfered with a trap I had with outskirt village recently.”

“I heard.” Pidge perked up, “You nearly had the whole village paying tribute, but he came in and stole the embasary you’d sent. Trapped her in a pot and threw her into a crow’s nest.”

Keith scolded, “Now that village serves a trio of witches. I lost them all.”

“I would have sought vengeance.” Pidge egged him on, grinning something evil.

“I did.” Keith huffed, crossing his arms, “I stole his favorite singer’s voice and hid it just before his last celebration. I have yet to return it.”

“Ooooh.” Pidge grinned, delighted, “So it was you. He’s been enraged by that, he even called his father to help him search.”

“He’ll not find it in the sea.” Keith hummed, taking another sip of wine, “I’ll tell no one where I hid the bottle I trapped it in.”

“You should have stolen his voice.” Pidge snickered, hiding her smile behind her hand, “It would be good fun to see how enraged he would be.”

“I’ll save that when I’m unforgivingly angry with him.” Keith brushed back an inky lock. His crown weighed lightly on his head, carven from fallen branches and red fallen leaves, a red gem placed delicately over his forehead, ready for the day when he would trap Lance’s voice inside of it, not that Pidge needed to know.

“It will be fun to see what will happen when he finds out you were the one who took her voice.” Pidge snickered again, leaning forward. “But he may be more enraged if you dance.”

Keith frowned, moving a loose piece of silken fabric over his shoulder, his autumn woven robe twisting around his body tightly, he wasn’t sure if he should dance in his mother’s gift to him, “Perhaps not.”

“It would enrage him.” Pidge grinned, “Dance with me.”

“There are better ways to turn away men that court you.” Keith scolded, sipping his wine again. He knew Pidge had some ulterior motive, Lance must have started pursuing her at some point, though why she didn’t just turn him away or give him an impossible courting challenge was beyond him.

“Even he isn’t fool enough to court me.” Pidge grinned again, something wicked in her eye, “Just dance with me.”

“I think not.” Keith denied her again, he wasn’t in the mood for her games, not tonight when he was at his weakest. “My mother, The Morrigan, gave me this robe, I won’t ruin it dancing with you.”

“It's so cruel of you to deny me a dance.” Pidge pouted, like a child, “Next time you have your eyes on a child I’ll steal it before you can take it.”

“Yes, please.” Keith laughed, “The children I take are always better off as servants.”

Keith wouldn’t deny that he had a soft spot for orphans and abused children. Yes, he was no stranger to taking others, but he couldn’t help want the abandoned ones. They spotted what was left of the warmth in his heart. He often left changelings in their place, and the children he took in were often so happy to be taken. A happy servant was an obedient servant as well, so it always worked in his favor.

Pidge pouted again, “You’re so dull.”

“I am clever enough not to fall into your traps.” Keith waved towards the crowd of dancing Fair Folk, “Do as you will, but I’ll not fall for it. I know when you plan something, and I’m in no mood to ruin Oberon and Titania's party tonight. They’re awful enough right now.”

“All over a child.” Pidge smirked again, leaning a cheek against her open palm, “It’s all very amusing.”

“Its an annoyance.” Keith hummed, tapping his finger impatiently as the night grew ever darker, “They’ve dragged poor Shiro into their mess.”

“He hates it as well.” Pidge chuckled, “Half his realm is gold right now, and from what I understand it’s chaotic enough in his realm that his brothers are getting involved. Present company excluded.”

Keith winced, knowing full well how Shiro probably felt about _that_. With any luck Lotor and Allura would find a solution tonight, even if the solution was tearing the boy in half. Surely, it would be better than any other plan they had.

However, even though they all hoped for a favourable solution, everyone here knew that it wouldn’t come anytime soon. Judging by the way they were yelling at each other, they all knew that it would take a bit longer for the two Fae to come to some form of agreement.

Clear blue glowing eyes observed the two from a distance, sighing in annoyance as he turned to look at his fellow Fair Folk. He knew everyone here and yet he couldn’t find it in himself to bother with anyone tonight. No, actually, he would. Only if it weren’t for Keith and his monstrous mullet that were lingering at the edges of the party.

The black haired Fae was a nuisance. His very presence got on Lance’s nerves. However, he would be a fool to fall for Keith’s tricks, and so when he spotted Hunk ceasing his dance to get more food, he made his way over to him, wishing for the bulkier Fae’s company.

Hunk always prefered to take on the appearance of a Golem, his body composed of rock but harbouring little clothing against his solid body. Everyone had their preferences, and Lance certainly wouldn’t judge Hunk for his. One day he turned into a Golem himself to try it, and he did like the feeling of impenetrable strength it gave him, but it would be a sin of him to always take on the appearance of one creature.

He was beautiful and so it would be rude of him not to share it in many different shapes and forms. Even now as he walked, he extended his wings fully, allowing everyone to admire them in their full glory. He loved looking at the faces of the human servants whenever he would show them off, fully enjoying their awe as they admired them from a distance.

“It’s unusual to see you dance like that Hunk.” Lance greeted, standing beside Hunk who turned to him after getting himself a plate of food. “Your dance partner is attractive so I don’t blame you.”

“That was my first dance of the night.” The rocky Fae took a sip of his wine, both he and Lance looking at the fires and the dancing figures that lingered around. “Meanwhile, you’ve already danced with about three lower Fae and four of your human servants.”

Lance’s lips curved, snatching a hollowed out horn of wine from one of the servants before taking a sip himself, “I could never resist the temptation of a dance. Especially on a night like this with the fires so calm and warm.” Dancing always attracted more eyes towards him, and he enjoyed every second of it.

Hunk hummed, taking another bite out of his food, chewing on it, “I’d rather be here than hunting out in the forest. I’m really glad both Lotor and Allura chose this time for the party.”

“You always think with your stomach Hunk. I’d do anything to stretch these babies out and fly over the forest. At least that way I wouldn’t have to stay here and keep looking at Keith’s annoying face.” He couldn’t understand how anyone could be so _irritating_.

“I doubt he wants to be here either. You should go talk to him.” Hunk suggested, a mischievous tone in his voice.

“Absolutely not.” Lance growled out, folding his arms as his eyes wandered over to see what Keith was doing. As usual, he was talking to Pidge, just like he always does during any of their gatherings or parties. “All he’s doing is standing there, staring. What a creep.”

“You say that yet I saw you sparing a couple of glances at him as well. You should go to him to settle this.” Hunk suggested again, and this time Lance threw _him_ a judging look, unwilling to fall for the other’s taunts.

“I’m not going over to him.” Lance decided, sharp eyes spotting one of Keith’s human servants nearby, pulling on the boy’s arm so that he was close to him. The boy looked up at him in surprise, glowing blue orbs staring down at him in amusement. “Keith will come to me himself.”

Hunk raised a brow, his rocky arm making noises as he bit into his food again, “We already have Allura and Lotor arguing over a human. We don’t need anyone else arguing over another. That’s too much buddy.”

“That would be Keith’s fault, not mine.” Blue wings extended in a way that the human would see all the inner colours of his beautiful feathers. Lance had an amused grin on his face as he reached down to stroke his pointer finger against the boy’s jaw. Keith’s servants are distinguished by their red clothing, as well as the fiery lined pattern that decorated them.

“Red doesn’t suit you little one.” Lance mused, glancing over at Keith for a second to see if he was looking. Unfortunately the said Fae had his attention on Pidge at the moment, but that would soon change, “Blue would suit you so much better.”

Not really knowing what to say to that, the boy merely nodded. Lance settled with that, at least for now, “No human should be exposed to the mutation that is Keith’s mullet. I bet it has a life of its own.”

“I don’t think Keith’s mullet would be a familiar.” Hunk deadpanned, “You’re really obsessed with it bud. It’s not healthy.”

“Oh nope! Not obsessed. That mullet is a familiar and I’ll prove it.” He’ll expose Keith for everything he is, and one day, he’ll even get him to tell him his true name. Once he gets ahold of that, the mullet will be under his mercy.

He never wanted anything more than to get Keith’s true name. The ultimate prize he would get the greatest satisfaction of receiving. One day… One day he will…

“Blue would definitely suit you.” Lance maintained his hold on the boy’s hand, looking down at him mischievously, “I’m sure you would love swimming in the seas of my realm. They’re the most beautiful waters you’ll ever lay your eyes upon.”

And as he glanced over at Keith, he finally spotted those violet eyes looking over at him. Good, at least now Keith would understand who has the upper hand here. It was all his fault for creepily looking at everyone in the distance anyway.

The servant boy shifted a bit, biting his lip nervously as he tried to pull away, “Forgive me, m’lord, I’ve work to do.”

“Stay.” Lance cooed, rubbing his fingers over the boy’s knuckles, “You would love it better in my realm. I would treat you well, far better than your current master.”

“One would think…” A smooth voice tested, a pale hand slapping away Lance’s grip on the boy, another pushing the boy behind his body, “...that more respect would be had at a party for Oberon and Titania.”

And here he was, the bane of Lance’s existence, pulled away from his little spot near Pidge and into the game. The tanned Fae grinned, leaning in to smile down at the pale form. Keith, for his part, frowned heavily and pushed the boy further away. The servant boy, taking the hint from his master, scurried off, choosing to return to work rather than become involved with the conflict about to take place.

Once the boy was gone, Keith turned his violent eyes back onto Lance, where they should be, and scolded, “You would do well to stay away from servants bound to others. Especially considering the reason we are all here.”

“I couldn’t resist.” Lance grinned, “He was such a nice boy.”

Keith made a disgusted noise, “If it were Titania you tried this with, she and Oberon would have attacked you.”

“But luckily you’re not them.” Lance pointed out smugly, thrilled that his victim took the bait and came to play, “You wouldn’t attack me because you know I’m stronger than you. Admit it, you _know_  it.”

Keith let out a small growl at that, “Say whatever you want to say to make yourself feel better Lance. I won’t stoop so low to fall to your dirty tricks.” He wouldn’t give Lance the satisfaction of getting a rise out of him. He knew better than that.

“What dirty tricks?” Lance raised his hands up mockingly before resting them on his hips, “You’re full of delusions Keith. If you’re talking about the boy, then I was doing him a favour. Anything would be better than staying in your terrible realm. I was trying to save him.”

“He doesn’t need to be saved.” Violet eyes remained on blue, “If I were you then I’d be taking care of my own servants. You never know what might happen to them.”

Lance raised a brow at that, taking this as a sign of a challenge, “And if I were you, I’d do something about that mullet of yours. _Ugh_ … Tell me Keith, is your mullet actually a disguised familiar?”

Hunk perked up at that, trying to contain his excitement as he watched his fellow Fae talk. He didn’t want to interfere right now, not at this moment.

Keith’s eyes narrowed dangerously as he rounded back on Lance, a rippled of magic running through his body as he hissed angrily, “You rude…”

He stopped himself, sucking in his breath as he forced himself to calm down and remain neutral. He tried to push down the rage, but he knew it was a fruitless task. Somewhere inside of him he could feel the part of him connected to his mother, The Morrigan, react. Fair Folk aren’t known for their emotional control, he and his mother least of all, especially tonight when the dead whispered sweet nothings into his ear.

“No, Lance, it is not.” Keith answered, his clenched fists shaking as he barely kept from attacking the other. Questions were rude, it was the way of Fair Folk, and here Lance was mixing an insult and a question together in one form. Keith honestly didn’t know why he bothered not striking the tanned face, king or not, Lance was a nuisance who didn’t know how to keep his mouth shut. He’d be well within his rights to start a war with the obnoxious Fae, but right now he’d settle for giving as good as he’d gotten, “I have no familiar, as I am not mortal.”

“Really?” Lance raised a brow, refusing to give up his rudeness, “You’re so dull, never changing from your boring form, I thought maybe you couldn’t.”

“Does this mean you find poor Hunk dull as well?” Keith snapped back, deciding he was tired of trying to keep himself from being rude. He hated this party, he hated being dragged into other’s conflicts, he hated the ceaseless howls of the dead, and he hated Lance’s need to insult him most of all. If Lance was going to do this tonight then so was he.

But even though the blue winged Fae was insulted, he raised his hand up to his lips to hold in a chuckle, “Hunk has a character, so no, unlike you, he’s not dull. Hah! I can’t believe you would compare yourself to someone as unique as Hunk.” Sure Hunk wasn’t the most attractive, but he did have character. If there was anyone who could match him in his beauty, then that would be Allura, but he’d never admit that.

“Not only are you dull, but you’re also a creep.” Lance extended his wings, making himself seem bigger, “Everyone here noticed you staring at them already, and I noticed that you were looking at me as well. I felt your eyes all over me.”

“Did that make you uncomfortable?” Keith hissed back, “Maybe I wouldn’t stare at you if you weren’t trying so hard to get my attention. Now you tell me Lance, did you want me to look at you?”

Lance grumbled while Hunk covered his lips, preventing himself from laughing. He had to admit that when both Lance and Keith were involved, he was getting the best form of entertainment ever.

“You wish mullet.” The brunette took a step closer, eyes glowing as they met Keith’s own, “I was minding my own business and enjoying the night. It had nothing to do with you, which I’m sure you were hoping for, weren’t you?”

“Not at all. I just found it strange that whenever I looked at you, your eyes were on me. Don’t you think it’s odd?” Keith mocked, his arms folded and lips curved, “That illusion you did was terrible. I give credit where it’s due, but that was just hideous.”

Lance hissed at that, “You’re just jealous by how real my illusions look, _and_  you’re salty that I know one of your weaknesses.” The idea made him excited, “And I’ll only keep finding out more and more, until one day you’ll bow down to me.” He leaned his finger against Keith’s chest, “And one day, I’ll even know your real name.”

“So not only are you a fool with no skill at manipulation, you are also delusional.” Keith scoffed, crossing his arms, “If I’m so dull, Lance, then tell me why you’re so fixated on learning my true name?”

It was Lance’s turn to scowl now, the feathers of his wings standing on end as he simmered with anger and frustration. He squared his shoulders, leering down at the annoyance standing before him. He’d never understand why Keith defaulted to this one look when he could be taller, or not have such hideous hair. It annoyed Lance to no end that the pale Fae never experimented with his form, he didn’t even know why. Still, he could feel the frustration building up with the pale being. “To finally put you in your place and keep you from being a thorn in my side.”

Keith’s lips twisted, “And yet you’re the one who initiated our conflict tonight by trying to steal my servant.”

“It isn’t stealing if he leaves willingly.” Lance glares, “It's hardly my fault if you’re such a poor master that they flock to me.”

“It is when their souls are bound to me.” Keith crosses his arms, “And they hardly flock to you, seeing as you’re the one bothering them because you can’t seem to stand not having my attention.”

“And you’re calling me the delusional one?” The brunette snorted, “Careful Keith, if you play with fire, you’ll get burned.” Lance warned, his voice lowered.

“I’m not playing with anything.” The grin on Keith’s face was still there, “Just stating the truth. I’m not all over you, _you’re_  all over me.”

Those words were what did it for Lance, his wings puffing as his right hand lit up in blue fire, moving to strike only to be blocked by Keith’s hand, water enveloping it. They both grinned at the same time, eyes meeting in a challenge, “I should be the one putting you in your place, seeing as you’re so desperate.” Keith mused as vines suddenly emerged from under Lance’s bare feet, the brunette burning them with his flames right away.

Lance laughed out loudly, his blue flames gaining on strength, “When I’m done with you, I’ll make sure to cut that hideous mullet of yours, mark my words.” And he really did mean it, more than anything he had ever meant before.

Keith snorted, pulling his free hand back to push Lance away with air alone. However, as he did that, Lance disappeared, the illusion breaking as the real one emerged, shooting more of his flames Keith’s way.

The ravenette dodged, both Keith and Lance finding themselves in a battle now, attracting the attention of all the guests. All of the Fae were watching them with smiles on their faces, thrilled to see how this fight would end.

As the two battled, Allura and Lotor looked up at them, eyes widening when the same idea hit them. “Of course! That’s it!” Allura noted excitedly while Lotor rolled his eyes, unimpressed with the fight. However, he did like the idea and so he decided to go along with it.

It wasn’t often that Oberon and Titania agreed, but it seemed tonight would be one of those rare occasions. They slipped away from Shiro, using his distraction as the cover they needed to escape. While their reluctant mediator was too busy trying to break up the ongoing battle, the two slipped into a ring of mushrooms.

“Allura.” The Oberon spoke to his Queen, “As my wife, I’ll let you choose whom you want to win for this wager.”

Allura hummed, the Fairy Queen’s eyes flicking over the battling Fae. She watched them carefully, studying them thoroughly before making her choice, “Lance’s tolerance for Keith is far more less than the latter’s for Lance, and Keith is weak these nights. Lance will kill Keith first.”

Lotor hummed, “Keith is far more skilled in swordsmanship with a quick temper and quicker reflexes even with his weakness. He’ll kill Lance first.”

“Then our wager is agreed.” Allura turned to face her husband, “If Lance dies first then the child is yours, if Keith dies first then the child is mine.”

“I look forward to my victory.” Lotor smiled.

Allura huffed, crossing her arms, but nevertheless moved closer towards the taller man. They moved together, whispered words and ripples of magic working through their skin. The power of Samhain fueled them, making their magic far stronger, and as a marriage bound couple it rippled stronger still. The two of them focused, words whispered and eyes set on the battling Fae near the bonfires, and their spell was cast.

Unbeknown to the two battling Fae.

“Missed me!” Lance teased, flying high above into the air while Keith followed, making himself vanish before re-appearing right in front of Lance, managing to hit the brunette right in the face. Feeling his rage take over, Lance flew up again quickly with incredible speed, managing to get to Keith before landing a hit as well.

The two Fae seemed to be even in power, and just as one would manage to get a hit, the other would quickly return it. They were both on even ground as the rest of the Fae watched, some of them cheering, others giggling, and a few judging them for being this incredibly rude to both Titania and Oberon.

However, all of a sudden both Keith and Lance felt something pierce their chests, their surroundings blurring while they focused on the incredible pain that hit them out of nowhere.

Keith gasped, a hand clenching onto his chest as he fell from the sky, falling onto the ground with a loud thud. Lance, even though he had wings, fell down like a rock, curling on himself once he was laying on the fallen leaves in the dirt.

“ _A-Argh_!” Keith gasped in pain, feeling his insides boiling and hurting all over. He found it incredibly hard to breathe, and as more time passed, it was getting harder and harder for him to take in any air at all.

Lance was the same, struggling against the ground with a blurred vision and echoing voices all around. Everything hurt. He never felt such incredible pain before in his entire life. Although among that pain, he did feel a strange pull of sweet promises that if he follows the pain will vanish instantly.

Everyone had their eyes on the two as they began crawling towards each other, noting the weakened states they were in. Keith’s fairy wings disappeared as he pushed himself forward while Lance had his wings on the ground, dragging them along in the dirt as he went.

The Fae all had grins on their faces, watching the two meet in the middle, embracing one another as soon as they were within reach. The relief was immediate and both of them felt it, letting their bodies relax, the pain simply vanishing, as if it was never there to begin with. This prompted the two to use their powers, aiding in the healing of their weakened bodies.

“Haha! Oh ancients! This is golden!” Pidge laughed from where she was situated on a tree, Hunk and the other Fae joining her in their laughter, and soon, most of the Fae found themselves laughing at the two.

Once they were conscious enough to make out the laughter, both Keith and Lance moved away, only to find out the position they were in. Their eyes were wide, utterly shocked. “What are you doing!?” Lance yelled, pushing Keith away, only to feel a sting of pain once he did that. And as he felt it, Keith did as well.

Keith reached back towards the other Fae, grabbing his wrist and pulling him back into place. Lance protested, trying to pull away, but Keith was having none of it. The pale Fae scolded, standing up, dragging Lance along with him as he turned to glare out into the crowd. Shiro, perhaps the most level headed of the gathered company, already pushed his way through the crowd and up to them.

“You two can’t even hold the theatrics back for one night.” The older King shook his head. Shiro was often the one to keep their fights from going too far, yet tonight he seemed especially impatient, “The sheer rudeness of you, interrupting a party, I should bind you both in a Rowan tree for a hundred years, then you’ll be sorry.”

Keith winced, Rowan trees were awful and tasted like cold iron, it would be impossible to escape. So he stood there, deciding not to push his luck, Lance draped uselessly in his arms. The tanned Fae glared, trying to pull away again, only for a quick stabbing pain to send him right back into place in Keith’s arms.

“Madness is afoot.” Lance hissed, not trying to pull away this time,”I’ve been cursed!”

“Curses can be broken.” Shiro spoke, turning his eyes on Keith, “Break whatever curse you’ve cast, I’ll not have anymore rudeness in this party tonight!”

“I haven’t cast a curse.” Keith huffed, his arms firmly locked around Lance just in case he tried to pull away again, “It is not something I can break without knowing the terms.”

Shiro’s eyes narrowed dangerously, his head turning to face the rest of the party instead, “It would seem someone here cast a curse on our fair fighters. I assume that the one who cast it will step forward.”

For a moment no one moved, making it seem like whomever was responsible wouldn’t confess. It was surprising, then, when none other than the Titania and Oberon themselves, not arguing for the first time that night, stepped forward with easy smiles on their faces.

“No.” Shiro groaned, “No, no, no. We were supposed to resolve this _without_  involving the others tonight.”

“It’s already too late. Both Allura and I have already made a choice on how we want this issue resolved. We’ve made a bet.” Lotor revealed, their smiles widening as they announced their answer to the guests.

“You should be content with our answer Shiro, for we didn’t choose to wage a war. You were strongly against it, which means that this solution benefits us all.” Allura added in happily, delighted to see the cold faces on both Keith and Lance’s faces. It was also because of the position they were in that many of their fellow Fae continued laughing, mocking them behind their backs.

The giggles did nothing more than irritate the both of them, but especially Lance who looked up at Keith’s face. “I swear I’ll drown you in my realm if you don’t let go this very instant mullet. _Let go_.” Blue eyes glowed dangerously but Keith refused to listen, his grip tightening once he remembered the pain he experienced a minute ago.

“That’s perfect. It is exactly what you should be striving for Lance.” Allura noted, earning the said Fae’s attention. “Lotor and I made bets on who will kill the other first. If you manage to take Keith’s life, then I’ll get the human. However, if Keith manages to kill you first, then Lotor gets the human.”

Lotor grinned beside her, unable to hold down his amusement, “Your rivalry is known throughout the land so our bet will only aid you in finally deciding who will emerge victorious. Not only that, but it’s also our way of repaying your rudeness during the party. You should have expected nothing more when you made the decision to fight among my guests.”

“Hold on.” Lance growled out, “I want to kill Keith more than anything else, _but_  I also don’t want to do it just because the both of you made a bet on it.” His eyes moved onto Allura, “I can’t believe you’d do this to me Allura. You know I hate Keith’s guts.”

“I did nothing more but help you in your never-ending rivalry Lance.” The Titania answered simply, “Not only will you both finally settle your grudges, but we will also get to resolve our argument. We’re killing two birds with one stone as humans would say.”

“I cannot believe you dragged us into your petty spat.”  Keith scolded, more than angered that they would do this on this night out of all of them, “We, too, are kings of our own realms. If you think this won’t have consequence then you are sadly mistaken.”

“It's the least you could do to repay us for the rudeness.” The Oberon shrugged, smiling slyly at the pale Fae, “At long last, your conflicts will be resolved, as well as our own.”

Keith glared harshly, eyes set on the two as he crossed his arms, “I refuse to play your game. When I break this curse, and I will, you’ll both come to regret this.”

Shiro, shook his head, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he stared at the Oberon and Titania, “When I agreed to be you mediator I’d assumed that it was because you wanted to find a way to resolve this without wasting resources, not that you would involve two other kings in your feud and risk more conflict. A bet on mortal men would have served you just as well.”

“This is far more amusing.” Lotor smiled, staring at the two afflicted Fae Kings, “You’re very unlikely to break the curse. You can’t even be a foot apart from one another, you’ll kill each other long before you can even think of a way to break it. This is a lover’s curse, cast by Titania and I together on the first eve of Samhain, you’ll not find a way before your tempers are flared.”

“My temper may be quick…” Keith growled, “...but I am also far more angry with you than Lance right now. I’ll not let you win this game, and when Lance and I break this curse I’ll see to it that _neither_  of you get the child, and they’ll stay in mortal lands behind an iron city. I’ll call my mother to bind him away from you if I must.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I agree with Keith.” Lance spoke up, “Neither of you will win this. I refuse to play any of your games. Actually, I refuse to play _anyone’s_  game.” The notion that he was dancing into anyone’s hand got him revved up, more than irritated.

“Well, what’s done is done.” Lotor mused, “The curse is already set and it cannot be changed until it’s broken. One of you will die and then the victor between Allura and I will be decided. There’s nothing any of you can do to change this.”

Shiro sighed heavily, hand flying up onto his forehead, “I can’t believe this. Your argument could have been solved so easily, and yet here we are, involving two Fae kings in your dispute. This is far from reasonable.”

“As we said, it’s more amusing this way.” Allura didn’t have anything else to say, turning to the rest of her guests, “Now that we’ve come to a resolution, the party is over. Those who wish to remain can do so while those who want to go join the hunt can do that instead.”

“Whoa! Hold on!” Lance raised his voice, “You can’t expect me to stay this close to Keith. At least broaden the range of our distance. I don’t know…miles apart would do.”

“Nothing can be changed at this point.” Lotor brushed him off, “If you won’t fight now, then we’ll have to wait and see who manages to kill the other first. Allura and I are patient. We’ll wait for you to fulfil the terms of the curse.”

The rest of the crowd was still giggling, gossiping while gathered around the five of them. Even from this distance, Keith could hear Pidge’s laughter, as well as Hunk’s muffled giggles of amusement. This pissed him off more than anything did in a while.

Keith silently stewed, waiting for the party goers to either leave or return to their festivities. Lance was still trying to call after Lotor and Allura, who had turned away by this point and walked arm in arm away from them. Lance at least had the sensibility to not try to stray out of range from Keith, which seemed to be about a foot away. Still, the tanned Fae let out a series of frustrated growls, cursing as he watched the two walk away from him.

“Lance.” Keith spoke, causing the other to snap his head towards him. He sighed, knowing that this was going to a frustrating conversation. Still, he would rather not let the couple win this game, and that meant putting aside their feud for now, “I propose a truce until this curse is lifted.”

Lance frowned, his blue eyes narrowed and untrusting, a stern frown on his face, the only unchanging part of Lance. Keith knew very well that this Fae hated him, always will for whatever reason, but he still hoped that Lance would put aside his pride for just long enough to escape the game they’d been forced into, if only for their parent’s sakes. Keith didn’t want to see the Morrigan go on a rampage anytime soon, and he certainly didn’t want to be trapped in Annwn, island of the dead, with his father.

The brunette seemed physically conflicted, chewing on his lip as he continued staring at Keith. He never imagined himself in this kind of a situation. One where he would be stuck with _Keith_ without a choice, but here they were, limited to being only a foot apart from each other. “There will be no truce.” He decided, “Instead you’ll have to follow me around while I try to figure out how to break this curse.”

Keith immediately frowned, “That’s not how this is going to work. If you expect me to walk around you without having a say in the matter then you’re wrong.” Only Lance could come up with an idea like this. It was beyond dumb.

“Well, it’s not like you have a choice mullet.” Lance extended his wings, only now finding out that they were covered in mud, “Oh my ancient tree! There’s _mud_  all over my beautiful wings!” He screeched in fright, shaking them as hard as he could before moving his hands carefully through the feathers. “This is all _your_  fault in the first place. If you didn’t provoke me, then we wouldn’t have fought and none of this would have happened.”

“My fault!?” Keith raised his voice, “ _You_  were the one who started all of this!” Ancients! How could _anyone_  be _this_  annoying?

“Me!? You got some nerve saying that! After outright provoking me into a fight!” Lance yelled back, the both of them facing each other in a challenge.

“ _You_  threw the first punch!” Unbelievable!

“And _you_  provoked me! I can’t believe you’d suggest that I was eyeing you up during the party! That’s the lowest of the low!”

“Enough!” Shiro had to intervene at this point, finally recovering after the initial shock of how this party ended. Keith really did have sympathy for the older Fae. But right now? He wanted to curse every being that got him into this situation. If he could then he would take back everything he said to Allura about being mad at her and Lotor more than Lance, because right now he was equally furious at all of them.

Lance raised his hands up in the air, turning to face Shiro, “I’m not going to stay here, and I’m _absolutely_  not staying this close to… _ugh_... Keith... I had _plans_  and now they’re all ruined. I was supposed to go hunting and then return back to my realm! _Ohhh nope!_  This isn’t breaking my plans. Here’s what we’ll do.” He turned back to face Keith, “You’ll turn into a butterfly and hop into my pocket. Then you’ll let me squish you and all of this will be over with. Done. Finito.”

“What a plan. Kill me on the night when my mother and father are both most active.” Keith spat, crossing his arms, “I’m sure being pulled into the underworld by the Wylde Hunt will line up with your plans perfectly. Oh, and lets not forget what the Morrigan will do to you.”

“I won’t be taken by the Hunt once they realize what a favor I’m doing by squishing you.” Lance fired back.

“So much for not playing their game.” Shiro grabbed both their shoulders, forcing the two apart as far as the curse would allow without pain. He forced them to face him, looking them both dead in the eyes, “Neither of your realms can go without their King, and I’ll not let chaos reign because Oberon and Titania decided to resolve their spat by creating a different one. You’ll _both_  work together, or _I’ll_  resolve the issue by dragging you both to a Rowan tree and sealing you inside it together for a year.”

The two Fae froze, both gulping at the prospect of being sealed inside a painful Rowan. The two shared a look, knowing that Shiro was serious. The older Fae favored benevolence, especially in regards to Keith, but it seemed he was edging dangerously close to losing his patience with them.

“Fine.” Lance agreed with a huff, crossing his arms with a grimace, “I’ll...try...to work with... _him_.”

“You’ll work with my brother.” Shiro scolded, towering over the two of them, “And he’ll work with you, and if either of you die I’ll be cross and drag the survivor to a Rowan in Annwen.”

They both flinched at that, both for very similar reasons as well. Their fathers would be two different kinds of unbearable if they ended up in Annwen, Keith’s wouldn’t want to let him leave, and Lance’s for having to sail to Annwen and try to convince the Anwan to free him after one of Anwan’s sons trapped him there. It was a situation both wanted to avoid. So they both swallowed their pride and nodded, “Understood.”

“Good.” Shiro nodded, “I’d hate to put you both under a geas, but I will if I must.”

Both flinched at the idea of an unbreakable vow.

“Now, you’d best start planning.” Shiro’s gaze met the moon, “It would be easiest to break this soon.”

“Alright.” Both Lance and Keith nodded, turning to each other, “I don’t want to spend another second with you so the faster we get this done, the sooner I’ll be free of the constant presence of your mullet.”

“Leave my hair out of this.” Keith hissed, “Let’s focus on breaking the curse.”

Shiro observed the two, sensing that he finally got the message across. With the way they were now, he felt confident in leaving them alone to their own devices. He may have been a mediator in this case, but he was tired and there was still the Hunt that was ongoing in the forest. Besides, most of the guests had already dispersed as well. “Good luck you two.” He turned, earning their attention, “I’ll be waiting for the good news.”

The older Fae waved as he suddenly vanished into thin air. Cold night winds blew over the two, silence taking over now that most of the crowd was gone as well. That was when the reality of it all donned on them.

It was just the two of them for who knows how long.

_This was a nightmare come true_.

“Okay!” Lance lightly slapped at his cheeks, helping himself come to terms with the reality of the situation, “It’s okay. Everything is going to be okay- Oh damn it all! How can anything be okay with Keith? No-No! Focus!”

And while Lance talked to himself, Keith leaned his hand against his forehead, cursing everyone that was involved in getting him into this predicament. Especially tonight where the dead whispered to him so lovingly...

“Okay, here’s what we’ll do.” Lance turned to him fully, “You’ll turn into a butterfly and you’ll let me carry you, without the squishing part. Then we’ll perform a ritual to rid us of the curse.”

Okay, good. A ritual sounded good, “I can agree with that, but stop constantly telling me to turn into a butterfly. I’m not doing it.”

“Don’t you want to know...” Lance’s lips curved, “...what a mullet would look like on a butterfly?”

Why…

“M’Lord?”

The two Fae kings perked up when they heard a voice call out to one of them, turning to spot their human slaves looking at them worriedly.

Keith and Lance both sighed, realizing that it would probably be best if they just outright left the party at this point. The mortal servants always got so...fidgety after a fight, especially the children, so it was best to just take them home and start working on breaking their curse.

…

“We have a problem.” Keith exhaled, “I’m not setting foot into your realm, where you’re most powerful, and I doubt you’re too keen to visit my realm.”

“You’re damned well right I won’t visit your realm.” Lance scolded, “You’ve terrible decorating skills, the volcano is tacky, the plants are hideous, and I refuse to visit any place _you’ll_  have an advantage in.”

Keith frowned harshly, biting his tongue so he could keep from falling into another argument with the stubborn Fae, it was risky for him to be outside his realm on Samhain, far more so than it was for Lance, but it would obviously be better to just go along with this and shut the hateful Fae up, “Then we can’t go to either of our realms for help. We’ll have to go somewhere neutral and safe.”

One of the servants shifted, one of Keith’s, one of his younger ones who hadn’t learned the ways of Fae quite yet, “Will we be going with you your grace?”

“Rude.” Lance snorted. Keith flushed in embarrassment, knowing that he couldn’t let the rudeness pass without punishment, but he’d put it off for the circumstance. His servants were scared, worried, and most knew what was likely to happen if Keith was pushed too far tonight.

“This rudeness will be punished later.” Keith pushed the child towards one of the older servants, “You teach them better while I’m gone. Return to my realm and wait for my return.”

“Yes your grace.” The servants bowed their heads, the red clad servants shuffling towards the ring of mushrooms settled from where Keith had entered the mortal realm with them. He watched as they each stepped into the ring, their frail bodies pulled away by the guards of his realm.

“You too. Return to my realm and wait for me to come back.”  Lane commanded his own servants, the huddled mass nodding and moving toward their King’s own fairy ring.

Now alone, the two were left with a heavy silence lingering between them, their task made no easier now that they were alone and their realms knew it would take some time before their return. Keith grumbled, facing Lance with a scold, “We should move towards a neutral location. Preferably one it would be easy to perform a ritual in.”

“This is a curse cast by two Fae on the first night of Samhain.” Lance sniffed, “A ritual isn’t going to be easy.”

“It will certainly be time consuming.” Keith admitted, wary already just thinking of what’s to come, “But if you have a better idea then I would love to hear it.”

“Well… You could turn into a butter-”

“No.” Keith was already getting fed up with this.

“Then how are we going to walk? Or get anywhere?” The brunette grumbled, hands on his hips as he stared at the other, “We need to get to a neutral location somehow.”

“Before that we have to figure out where to go.” Keith reminded, “Because I’m not going somewhere I know I won’t be safe.” He didn’t trust Lance at all and as Fae, he had every right not to. They were mischievous creatures, looking for every opportunity they could get to be bothersome or cause trouble, and it was rare indeed to find one capable of being sensible. “Not to mention that the Hunt is still ongoing.”

“A Hunt I _wanted_  to join.” The other whined, wishing for nothing more than for being able to take to the skies and go anywhere he wants, but no, he’s stuck here with _Keith_  of all people. “We need to get moving already. Standing around like this constantly is making me crazy.” Alright, focus, “We need to perform a soaking ritual and let the water wash away the curse. It’s the only ritual I can think of right now that might be able to help us.”

“Right.” Keith nodded, leaning his hand against his chin in thought, “We’ll need a bathtub, the right herbs, salt, and water for that.

“Or we can just submerge ourselves in a natural water source. Like rivers, lakes or the sea.” The only drawback is that it would take them a while to break the curse, and Lance couldn’t stand that thought. He grumbled to himself, taking a step away before the pain slowly crept at them both, making them wince before pulling close to each other again.

“What are you doing?” Keith hissed.

“Not my fault we can’t be a foot apart from each other.” This experience was going to be pure torture and he knew it.

Keith sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he thought of where they could go, “It’ll work faster if we find somewhere isolated, preferably with plenty of herbs around.”

“I want to go to the ocean.” Lance crossed his arms. “The Isle of Mann would be perfect.”

“I’m not going to an island your father claimed as his territory.” Keith shot back, “Or anywhere else Mac Lir rules over. We’ll find a pool on land.”

Lance scolded at him, “Fine, then I refuse to go anywhere The Morrigan is known to frequent, especially that cave she gave birth to you in.”

“Fine.” Keith cracked his neck, “Now we know where we’re _not_  going.”

“Also, no forest. If I don’t get to be a part of the Hunt tonight then I don’t want to run into your dad.” Lance grumbled, glaring out into the forest.

“Riiiiight.” Keith massaged his forehead, trying to fight off his annoyance, “No ocean, no forest, no lands of my mother’s. It needs a pool of water.”

Their options were becoming more and more limited every moment, Keith closed his eyes, thinking hard about just _where_  they were supposed to settle for the duration of a soaking ritual, something that could take weeks with how powerful this spell was. It also had to be safe too, he mused, somewhere he could hide from the dead.

“We should find a cave.” Keith opened his eyes, “Not one with my mother, but it should be safe, and we can gather water there.”

Lance huffed, clearly not happy with the situation, but he must not have thought of a better idea because he simply crossed his arms and nodded. Good, they were finally in agreement about something. Now they just needed to find a location and get there without killing one another. Or driving Keith into the madness he was prone to in this time.

“We better get going.” Keith muttered, jerking his head in a nonspecific direction, “We can head towards some of the more hilled areas and probably find plenty of caves somewhere.”

“A task made much more difficult when you won’t turn into a butterfly.” Lance huffed, crossing his arms, “We can’t get anywhere like we are.”

“We can walk.” Keith didn’t bother with Lance’s obvious bait anymore, “Or we can ride a steed. Or we can carry one another as is, but I’m not turning into a butterfly.”

“You’re such a stick in the mud. Why are you always making things much more difficult than they have to be?” The brunette grumbled.

“Because I know what you’re trying to do. I’m not falling for any of your tricks.” He’d be a fool to fall for such a transparent taunt.

“Fine! We’ll do this your way then.” Lance extended his arms, “I’ll carry you, seeing as I already have wings. It’ll do me some good to stretch these babies out.”

Keith eyed him with narrowed eyes, unsure if that was actually a good idea. For all he knew, Lance could _accidentally_  drop him mid-air while completely forgetting about the curse. Yeah, that would be a Lance thing to do. “No.” He didn’t want to risk it, “We’ll ride the steed instead.”

“No, we won’t.” Lance was quick to say, “I’m carrying you.”

“No, you’re not.” And Keith shot back.

“Yes I am.” Lance took that as a challenge, quickly scooping Keith off his feet before taking into the skies. The ravenette struggled against the other’s hold, still conscious of the curse while doing so. The wind was blowing around them while flying, the bright full moon shining behind them as they struggled.

“Y-You!” Keith hissed, letting fire envelop him, trying to burn the other and prompt him to let go. It worked, Lance letting go with yelp while Keith called back his flames, reaching out to hold onto Lance’s leg. The both of them were a mess, struggling to keep close yet desperately wanting to be separated.

“What are you doing!? Just let me carry you! Why is that so complicated for you to do!?” Lance yelled, aiming to hit Keith’s head with hit foot only for it to pass through the other Fae. Keith hissed angrily, focusing his power on finding a steed nearby. Luckily he managed to find one, a white pegasus appearing just below them, flapping its mighty wings.

With their ride here, Keith pulled on Lance’s leg again, the both of them landing on top of the pegasus’s back. Keith managed to seat himself in the front, not wanting to be covered by Lance’s muddy wings if he sat in front.

“Oh ancients!” Lance yelled in fright, pushing himself as far back as he could away from Keith.

“What is it!?” Keith tilted his head to the side, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

“ _This_! You can’t expect me to be face to face with your familiar like this! It’ll strangle me!” Lance pointed at the mullet in front of him, hissing at it. He moved his hand as a cloth suddenly appeared out of thin air, covering the mullet so that it was out of sight. “If you expect me to sit here like this, then you have to make a compromise.”

“It's a good thing this isn’t my familiar then, just a polite stranger.” Keith shrugged, choosing to ignore Lance’s complaints, “So you have nothing to complain about.”

“You dropped us on a wild horse!” Lance hissed, suddenly fidgeting all over again, “You’re mad Keith! This thing isn’t even trained for riding!”

“Calm down.” Keith hissed, rubbing the horse’s neck affectionately, “He wouldn’t dare try to throw us. He’s a smart boy. Besides, I doubt you would like my real steed. Wolves don’t seem like something you’d enjoy, and I refuse to trust your cow.”

“How dare you insult Kaltenecker!” Lance grumbled, wishing for nothing more than to burn Keith’s mullet right here and now. “She is the most loyal of steeds! She’d never betray me, unlike your untrusting wolf!”

“Kosmo would rather jump down a cliff than betray me.” Keith bit back, sending a quick glare at the other. There were dead things all about, whispering in his ear, begging him to join them, “Now shut up and focus on finding a cave. We’re flying towards the mountains.”

Lance’s blue eyes glared daggers into the ravenette, as annoyed as ever. He decided to look away with a frown, observing the mountains that were in front of them. “I’m not staying in a cold cave just so you know. We better find one that isn’t on top of the mountain.”

“We need to be close to a source of herbs. Obviously they don’t grow on top of the mountains.” Keith rolled his eyes, willing the pegasus to fly towards said direction. The wind was cold as they flew with the forest below them. The warm fires of the party were long gone, leaving them with the moonlight as their only companion.

Lance took in a deep breath, willing himself to try and calm down, extending his wings out so that the wind could pass through and clean them. Thankfully Keith’s mullet was still covered, so there was that as well.

The situation they found themselves in may be more than inconvenient, but as Lance’s eyes drifted back onto the Fae before him, a smirk found its way onto his face. He may be stuck with Keith, but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t use it to his advantage. There were _many_  things he could do to his fellow Fae, and he was willing to do them if the situation was right.

Perhaps he could have a peek into Keith’s memories.

Or maybe he could steal his hearing.

Better yet, he could steal his heart. It was something that came to his mind many times before, and he already has plans of where he could store it once he got it. He reached out to stroke the blue stone that lay against his chest, the necklace resting around his neck peacefully. It would suit as a fine vessel for Keith’s heart.

As long as the heart isn’t pierced, Keith would still live.

Although he would never know where his heart was.

“You’re being oddly silent.” Keith spoke, not turning his head back to look at Lance, “You’re planning something.”

“It has been a long night.” Lance smirked, “But if you miss the pleasure of my voice so much you only have to say so.”

“I worry more about what you’re planning than where your voice has gone.” Keith patted the steed’s neck, guiding it downwards and just above the treeline, searching for a spot where a cave would reside, “Good things never come to me once you start planning.”

“How cruel of you to make such assumptions.” Lance teased, smirking as he tugged the other Fae’s clothing.

“How rightly cautious you mean.” Keith shot back.

There was a cave in sight now, hidden at the base of a small cluster of small mountains, or were they large hills, whatever they were. Keith didn’t so much care for the naming near as much as he cared for the results coming into play. He stroked the steed’s neck, guiding the horse downward and onto the ground. It came to a stop just in front of their destination, giving an annoyed whinny at their intrusion.

Keith gave the horse’s neck a final pat, the closest thing he could give to a show of thanks without endangering himself. He hopped off the steed, Lance quickly following behind him. The pale Fae slapped the horse, sending it off with another whinny, leaving the two of them stranded at the cave that would serve as their home for the next few weeks.

Lance gave the cave a critical look, “It's hideous. I can truly believe you were born in one of these.”

Keith snorted, “The cave I was born in was the birthplace of magic and is far larger and more beautiful. The Morrigan would rather kill you than let you near it. In comparison, this cave is little more than a hole in the ground.”

“Beautiful or not, it doesn’t change the fact you were born in a cave.” Lance mocked.

“And you’ll be living in one for the next few weeks.” Keith reminded unsympathetically, dead things laughing all around him, “So there’s little room for you to be mocking me.”

“Whatever.” Lance brushed him off, turning towards the cave, “You better follow unless you want to get killed by the curse.” That was the only warning he gave as he took a step forward, Keith grumbling behind him before following.

The cave was dark which meant that they had to use their powers to create some light. Blue and red balls of flames appeared, lighting up their path as they walked inside. “This is a dump.” Lance was unimpressed, “It’s both cold and unwelcoming, just like you.”

“Welcome to your new home.” Keith mocked, delighted by the fact that Lance would be forced to spend more than a week in here. It gave him the greatest of pleasures to see his fellow Fae be subjected to something he hates this much. And with the whispers of the dead and howls of hounds dying down around him there was all the more pleasure in this.

Lance’s lips curved, sending a challenging look over at Keith. He didn’t say anything but simply continued walking further into the cave, the two of them finally reaching the end where they would settle.

Keith eyed Lance warily, watching as the brunette looked around the cave with hands on his hips. “If you think I’m leaving it as is, then you’re greatly mistaken. I’ll turn this cave into a cozy home for myself.” And Lance was determined to do just that, using his power to transform the cave.

Green vines began growing on the ceiling, merging to create a huge hammock of a bed. Rocks began changing shape, some of them turning into various forms of chairs while some turned into other furniture like shapes. Lance made sure to add stands on the walls for flames as well, letting them light up the entirety of the cave all the way from the entrance to here.

However, no home would be complete without water and so he managed to make a hole in the ground, water filling it up. Perfect. Now it was a cave worthy enough of his presence.

Lance eyed everything approvingly, turning to Keith with a smug on his face, “Just so you know, I’ll be sleeping there.” He pointed at the hammock. “You’re welcome to sleep on the floor, since you like the caves so much.”

“Good luck keeping this up for weeks.” Keith gave the hammock a critical look, “And good luck enjoying that if I’m on the floor. I’m not sure the curse is going to be forgiving just because you don’t want to share.”

Lance scowled.

Keith shrugged, “I’m sure keeping all these rocks into the shape of furniture for weeks on end won’t become tiring at all. And the vines won’t in any way change and try to return home.”

Lance continued to scowl.  

“The hammock is a nice touch. That one person bedding will be very nice for causing you horrific pain while you lay in it by yourself.”

“Alright then, you arse, what do you suggest we do?” Lance asked, voice so heavily laced with annoyance that Keith couldn’t help but smirk.

“How rude.” Keith smirked, crossing his arms as he turned towards Lance, “I was merely trying to help you from constant magic drain. I simply thought that gathering moss to make a bed would do wonders with keeping you from falling into magical exhaustion.”

Lance continued to scowl, “So you want to sleep on a bed of moss.”

“It's better than wasting all your power on forcing the rocks into shapes they don’t want to be in and keeping up a bed that won’t work.” Keith waved off, “But by all means, keep up with this, I’ll be sure to take care of your exhausted body.”

Lance grumbled, releasing the cave from his binds and watching forlornly as the furniture turned back into stones, leaving him and a damp cave. At least the pool of water didn’t leave, but now even the vines were creeping away, not wanting to stay in the dark. Blue eyes watched them flee, pouting as they abandoned him.

“We best ready a real bed.” Keith hummed, turning to reach a hand out and tug some wet moss from the wall. Moss wasn’t the best material to sleep on, but they liked being in caves and would actually stick around once magical bindings were gone. Keith’s lips twitched as he turned to hold the plant up to Lance’s face, “If we build a fire we can dry the cave enough to make a real bed. We can drape it over the rocks if you want.”

“Get that away from my face.” The brunette slapped Keith’s hand away, hissing at the sight of the other’s amused grin, “Ugh… That’s gross. If you think I’m sleeping on that then you’re mistaken. I’d rather sleep on a rock then do anything you suggest we do.”

“Suit yourself.” Keith eyed the other moss that he could see on the cave’s walls, moss was such a pleasant plant too, always willing to be helpful, “You’ll need to come with me so that I can collect the moss. We’re also making the fire.”

“Oh I’m making fire alright.” Lance folded his arms, “But I’m not tagging along while you collect that slime.” Dry moss would be okay for him to sleep on but…it was Keith’s idea, so he was against it. He’d do anything else rather than comply with Keith’s plans. He wouldn’t give the other the satisfaction of it.

“Then let’s make the fire first.” Keith focused on some of the branches outside, vanishing where they previously were before reappearing inside the cave. Now with the dry branches of wood, all that was left to do was to light them on fire, which they did.

The fire slowly began warming the cave, and it was at this point that Lance decided to sit down and watch. “I’m not moving from this spot so you better figure out a way to make your bed without causing me unnecessary pain.” He warned dangerously, “Also, make sure that slime is under you and not anywhere near me while I sleep.”

Lance’s thoughts began to wander around, trying to figure out what he could do to make himself a bed that would be _better_  than Keith’s shitty moss.

“Suit yourself.” Keith shrugged, pulling more moss off the walls within his range, taking as much off as he could without moving from his spot. “You could gather some leaves from outside if you need to, but that might not be any better than moss.”

Damn, there went that idea. The bastard child was determined to work through every idea possible just to force him to agree with one of his shitty ideas. Well, Lance wasn’t having any of it!

“I won’t be using any leaves either!” Lance hissed, settling himself on a rock, Keith following after him to keep the pain at bay. The tanned Fae folded his wings under him, settling on the feathery plumage, “I’m going to sleep just like this!”

“That’s got to be uncomfortable for your wings.” Keith hummed, spreading moss over his side of the rock floor, flattening it into something vaguely bed shaped, “I won’t pretend my idea is the best, but laying on your own wings has got to be painful.”

“Don’t pretend to care.” Lance snapped, shifting a bit as he tried to find the right angle to lay without the uncomfortable pinching in the wings. These things were so large and inconvenient when it was time for sleep, he’d never grow wings while sleeping again after this.

“I’m simply baffled by your choice.” Keith hummed, “It would be far easier on you to sleep in the pool by this point.”

“I don’t not need your mockery on top of all else.” Lance hissed.

“I’m not mocking you.” Keith hummed, sounding almost genuine to Lance’s ears, “I’m trying to make things as bearable as I can. It will take weeks to cleanse ourselves of this curse. It would be best if we are at least comfortable and not ready to snap at any given moment during all this, otherwise Allura and Lotor win.”

“And what does that have anything to do with my sleeping choices?” Lance bit back, “I know what you’re trying to do, and I won’t fall for your dirty tricks. You have your shitty bed, now leave me alone.” He turned to look to the side, still thinking about what he could do to solve his current predicament.

The moss was out of the question, and so were the leaves and the pool as well. Damn it. But what else _could_  he use?

“If you’d actually listen to my advice, you’d have a comfortable bed right now.” Keith noted, drying the moss and patting it down to make sure that it was all dry. Deeming it dry enough, Keith laid down on it, settling onto the soft grass. “Hmmmm…” He hummed contently, the noise irritating Lance further.

Okay, there wasn’t anything he could use inside the cave, but that didn’t mean that there weren’t things outside he couldn’t use. Leaves were one of his options, but that’s out the window now. What else was there?

Nothing out in the nature as far as he knew.

Wait… If there was nothing out in the woods, then there must be a comfy mattress inside a human’s house. Lance’s lips curved, thinking about the many villages he visited in the past. He couldn’t take a child’s bed, those would be too small. Although the mattresses of their parents would do.

He remembered the village he recently prevented Keith from conquering, sweet memories of those times lingering around. Those houses did have some comfy beds.

Lance focused on one of the beds he saw, the mattress and blanket vanishing from their original spot inside the house before reappearing inside the cave. Lance’s grin widened, throwing a look Keith’s way before leaning forward to drag the mattress closer to the other, settling on top of it comfortably.

“What do you think about _this_  Keith?” Lance asked smugly, purring as he settled onto the soft mattress, “I’d love to share, but you already have your moss so…”

“Congratulations Lance.” Keith deadpanned, unimpressed, “You wasted all that power stealing a straw bed and itchy blanket from unsuspecting mortals. Now not only are you rude, but you’re a thief as well. What a valiant hobby for a king.”

Lance frowned, annoyed. Keith just had to ruin everything. Now he couldn’t even have the satisfaction of sleeping on a better bed than the other Fae. It was like Keith made it his mission in life to zap all the fun out of everything.

“You’re just jealous that I have a better bed.” Lance snapped.

“No, I’m simply judging you for thinking that stealing terrible beds from impoverished villagers is a good idea.” Keith shrugged, setting onto his moss bed, “The Great King Lance, resorting to stealing beds from poor mortals. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.”

“You’re sleeping on moss.” Lance snapped.

“Something many Fair Folk do.” Keith reminded, “And I didn’t have to _steal_  the moss. They’re happy to help. You, on the other hand, are nothing more than a thief now. Those poor mortal men didn’t even offer up their beds to you, or break our rules, you just took their bed.”

Lance crossed his arms, scowling again as he sunk into his bed, the satisfaction long faded. Keith really did have a talent for pissing him off, it was almost effortless. This was why Lance hated him so much, the pale Fae just couldn’t stop mocking him even with his mere existence.

“I hope you are drowned by a Kelpie.” Lance muttered.

“Don’t be silly Lance, we’re nowhere near a lake.” Keith hummed, settling on his own bed as he turned his back on the tanned Fae, facing the fire. “And even then a Kelpie wouldn’t drown a Fae King, they’re smarter than that.”

“Then I hope you gain an itch in your toe.” Lance complained.

“We’ll need to gather salt and herbs for our baths.” Keith reminded, waving towards the pool Lance made, “Else soaking won’t work when we begin.”

The brunette grumbled to himself, turning away so that he didn’t have to look at Keith’s stupid mullet anymore, “Wow… Really? I didn't’ know that.” He said sarcastically, rolling his eyes before closing them. Today had been a long day, and the thoughts of sleep sounded very alluring at the moment.

However, he wasn’t a fool to think that he could sleep peacefully tonight. No, he’ll have to be careful. With Keith so close to him, the other Fae might try something funny. He couldn’t let his guard down at any moment in time.

Although… This could be a chance for him to at least have a peek at Keith’s memories. Stealing a heart was a delicate thing to do, which meant that he had to be _absolutely_  sure that Keith was asleep for that. He couldn’t risk doing it carelessly.

He’ll see how the night goes.

“I’m done with you for today mullet.” He let the other know, “If you touch me in sleep, you’ll regret it, mark my words.”

Keith snorted, giving the same warning in return, “And if _you_  touch me in my sleep, I’ll bind you in a Rowan tree. I’ll happily bathe myself next to the tree to rid myself of the curse and then leave you behind in it for a hundred years to come.”

“Pfft! Yeah, right. As if you have the power to do that.” This definitely proved that Keith was delusional. Lance decided to ignore the other from this point onward, focusing on relaxing into his new bed now.

His wings did make things difficult but since it was already night, he could allow himself to change into a new form. A new day, a new appearance, that’s the way he lives. But which form would be the most comfortable for him in a situation like this?

A fairy would be too small, which would give him a disadvantage over Keith. A golem was a no go as well, its body easily crushing his new mattress. Nothing with wings would do either, they’d just be in his way while he slept.

In the end, he knew he was going to have to make compromises. He loved his current wings, but with the situation he found himself in, he doubts he’ll be using them frequently. They’ll be bathing a lot so Lance guessed that the best option for him would be to acquire scales.

He closed his eyes, letting his wings melt back into his body as he let himself change appearances. His beautiful blue wings disappeared, replaced by blue scales that decorated his body. They were mostly concentrated on his hands and legs, leaving a few sparse blue scales covering his chest.

To finish the look he let himself grow a pair of beautiful blue horns on the top of his head, liking the feeling of having them on his head.

With his transformation done, he let himself relax. He was still aware of Keith’s presence, sleeping with one eye open in case he decided to pull a trick of some kind.

Keith, contrary to what Lance believed, was in no mood to deal with anything to do with the tanned Fae anymore, wore and wary as he was from the whispers of spirits taunting his ears since he’d stepped out of his realm. He ignored the noise coming from behind him, conscious that Lance could still try something, but unwilling to make any sort of moves himself. If the other Fae King tried something then he’d defend himself, but he was too weary to make the first move tonight.

Violet eyes slid closed, the distant sounds of galloping hooves filling his head as he closed out the world. He could hear his father’s hounds now, racing after departed souls in the skies, the Hunt was heavy tonight, and he could hear the screams of those foolish enough to be caught in their way. If Keith focused enough he could make out his father’s face among the riders. He didn’t see the Fae God often, but he could feel the connection between them even now. His father grinned, seeming aware of his presence, pleased that his wayward son’s attention was caught.

The hounds of Arwan howled, their padded feet moving through the sky, white fur and red eyes fierce as they hunted departed souls. When he was younger, Keith would ride on his father’s horse during the Hunt, the white steed heavy and huge beneath him, his father’s hand large and wide. Herne often had his own sons riding during a Hunt, and Woden came from the far North to join them. Cernunnos always stood, tall and imposing, and even as a child Keith was a little intimidated by his large horns, though he knew his father would protect him, and none of the Hunt were as fierce as his mother…

“I seem to be thinking an awful lot of my childhood right now.” Keith woke, forcing the memories away. He could feel his father’s distant disappointment. The pale Fae left a distant promise to join the Hunt another year, when he wasn’t trapped in a curse, but for now the Arwan would have to wait, “If we are sharing childhood stories, then by all means, but at least wait for me to tell the stories myself.”

“How bold of you to assume I want your memories.” Lance replied from behind him.

“Yet you were pulling them forward.” Keith turned to face the other, noting the tail he had taken, “At least share your own stories. I’m sure life was exciting on the Isle of Mann. Enough that you don’t fear drying out in the night.”

“My father seems a fair bit more careful than yours.” Lance snapped, “A babe on the Hunt.”

“There is no place safer than in my father’s arms during the Hunt.” Keith shrugged. “Mac Lir surely took pains to make sure you didn’t wander during those nights. He clearly never let another Fae God spirit you away.”

“My father put up many protections.” Lance stated smugly, “I’m so lovely, all the others would have spirited me away if they saw me. Even your mother and father would have snatched me up.”

“I doubt it. My father is picky, he wants only children of his blood.” Keith rolled his eyes, “And, oddly, only of my mother’s womb. He refuses all others. Shiro the sole exception.”

“How odd.” Lance chuckled, “No wonder he has no other children. He must be possessive.”

“He is.” Keith grumbled, “Which is why neither of us want to end up in the underworld tonight. He’ll never let us out. I doubt even Mac Lir could sail there and rescue you.”

“My father is stubborn.” Lance laughs.

“And so is mine.” Keith reminds, “Unless Mac Lir got my mother to help we’d be stuck.”

Lance rolled his eyes, “Sure, whatever you say.” He swinged his scaly blue tail in the air beside him, looking at it as he moved it, “It seems to me that your parents control most of your life. That’s sad.”

“Watch it.” Keith warned with a hiss, “Careful with what you say or you might really end up in the underworld.”

The brunette snorted at that, “Nothing could be worse than being stuck here with you. I’m all good. Although I will admit that I find your father’s love for your mother admirable. Such deep infatuation with one person is both admirable and creepy in it’s own way.”

“My father always said devotion is his greatest drive.” Keith shrugged, “Tis not many of our kind that stay devoted to only one lover, but my father has always been proud that he does. He holds it as his greatest source of pride.”

“It’s strange is what it is.” Lance huffed, “Though I admit...it does seem very romantic. Creepy, but romantic.”

“I think so too.” Keith hummed, “I’ve always been like my father in that regard.”

“No wonder you’re so strange then!” Lance exclaimed, pushing himself up and turning to grin at the pale Fae, “You’re a creep! Just like your father!”

“Careful now.” Keith growled lowly, “That’s the King of the Annwen you’re insulting.”

“I can hardly help if you’re a creep.” Lance poked his shoulder harshly, “No wonder my illusions never work! You only want one person!”

“That’s right.” Keith hummed, “When I marry I’ll not take another lover.”

“I’ll bet you’ve had no other lovers.” Lance snickered, leaning over Keith to get a look at his face, “I’ll bet no one else would touch you after learning that.”

“I’ve had lovers.” Keith side-eyed Lance, “But when I marry I’ll not take any. Even if they’re not devoted to me, I will be to them.”

The brunette continued to snicker, both amused yet also surprised by the new revelation, “That’s both sad and creepy at the same time. You must be really desperate if you don’t seek their devotion. Pray tell, what would be the point of that marriage?” But then as he thought about it more, another question popped up, “Your father’s love for your mother is obvious but are you trying to imply that she doesn’t love him back as much as she’s letting on?”

Keith growled lowly at that, grabbing onto Lance’s hand that was poking his shoulder, “Her affection may not be as strong as my father’s but it’s still there. Don’t try to pry too deep into matters that don’t concern you.”

“Hmmm…” Lance hummed, snatching his hand away, “I didn’t mean to pry into anything, but now that I know just how similar you are to your father, I cannot help but try and make the connections.” His tone was teasing, lips curving as he looked down at the ravenette.

The cave was deadly silent at night, darkness creeping around them as they laid down in their beds. Not even the moonlight could penetrate that deep into the rock where they lay. Lance’s tail swayed in the air, as thrilled as he had been in a while because while they’ve been stuck together for less than a day, he’d already managed to uncover a major potential weakness that Keith had. Now if only he could exploit this, he’ll have the pale Fae dancing within the palm of his hand.

“I’ve been a fool.” Lance noted, eyes remaining on Keith’s own as he hovered above him, “I should have made the connection earlier. The signs were all there. You are, after all, the son of King Anwan, a god that is notoriously known not only for his strength but also deep devotion to your mother. His blood runs through your veins, so it’s only natural you’d be the same.”

Blue scaly tail wiggled in the air, amusement evident on Lance’s face, “I should have made the connection when you didn’t respond to any of my illusions. It’s my fault for not seeing it so I’m grateful that you revealed it on your own.”

The high feeling that he had an upper hand here prompted him to reach out and hold onto Keith’s chin, slightly tilting it upward, “I wonder what’ll happen if I manage to find that person. I’ll have you coiled around my finger. Then perhaps you’ll even re-consider telling me your true name.”

He leaned his head a bit closer to the other’s face, as close as he could in case he needed to pull away, “Although there is still hope for your marriage. Take relief in the thought that nobody will hate you as much as me. That is considering if they don’t know much about you, in which case you may have a higher chance.”

“You act like you’re somehow shocked.” Keith didn’t move, he didn’t dare, this was a silent challenge by the other Fae, and he wouldn’t dare back down, “You also act like you’ve found some great weakness of mine, as if I would devote myself to anyone who couldn’t stand on par with me. I won’t marry some weeping damsel, Lance, you’ll have just as difficult a time trying to conquer them as you would me.”

“You say that.” Lance grinned, “But you’re so lowly. I doubt it would be difficult to take your bride.”

“If I am so lowly, then surely you would have rid yourself of me by now.” Keith answered, eyes leveled with Lance, “No, I’ve revealed no great weakness to you. You’ll no more conquer them than you will me.”

Lance purred, his hands landing on Keith’s shoulders in a mockery of a friendly gesture, “You say that now, but when I take them from you I’ll finally hear your true name from your own lips. No victory will be sweeter.”

Keith couldn’t help but roll his eyes, “Your obsession with my name is a nuisance at best. You’ll take no one, and you’ll not ever hear my name.”

“So you say.” Lance hummed, “Yet I don’t believe you.”

“Believe or not, it's none of my concern.” Keith was finished with the veiled threats, choosing to brush Lance off and ignore the burdensome King.

Lance, however, was nowhere near done, choosing to lean his forehead against Keith’s, his smile wide as he spoke again, “I’ve heard of mortals trying to stay faithful to one lover too, that they actually consider it immoral or even detestable to take more than one lover at a time.”

“Hardly my concern.” Keith hummed, uncaring.

“I simply can’t help but wonder if it’s the result of the Death God in them.” Lance hummed, rubbing his hands down Keith’s shoulders, “Maybe being tied to death makes them like that. Mortals are such creepy little things, and I wonder if it comes from their ancestor. It could be that such oddities come to all Death Gods. Maybe that’s why your father is so odd, maybe that’s why you’re this way.”

“How typical, that you’d be so fixated on me.” Keith hummed, “I’ve long grown weary of you Lance. Your games are amusing at times, but I desire rest now.”

“And I want to see you humbled.” Lance hummed, brushing his hands upwards and cupping Keith’s cheeks, “I want your name.”

“Get off me.” Keith pushes the tanned Fae off of him, the brunette falling onto his straw bed with a yelp. The noirette hummed, staring at the tanned face with a frown, “I’ll never understand where this hatred began, Lance, but try to keep it to yourself until our curse is lifted.”

Lance huffed, side-eyeing Keith as he laid in his bed, “I’ll do whatever I want mullet. Besides, the mystery of not knowing is adding onto the unique bond we have. All you need to do is keep your eyes opened at all times, for I’m slowly learning more and more about you.” His blue eyes glowed in the dark as he spoke, “And one day I’ll know it all. That’s when you’ll cease to be.”

“Whatever.” Keith decided to end it right there, turning around so that he didn’t have to look at the brunette’s annoying face, “Indulge in your fantasies on your own. I’m not interested.”

Keith closed his eyes, intending to ignore the other fully. Lance grumbled behind him, clearly displeased. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you about your upcoming fate when it comes to it. You’ll see which one of us will emerge on top at the end.” And Keith decided to ignore him, listening for any sounds of what the other might do.

Lance stared holes disapprovingly into Keith’s back, but then the thought that he learned something new came back to him, making him grin widely in satisfaction. Who knew Keith would be so willing to reveal something like this willingly.

Pulling out his memories was much more useful than he thought it would be.

Perhaps he’ll pull on them once again tomorrow when Keith goes to sleep.

With that thought in mind, Lance laid down on his bed, closing his eyes contently. The smirk was still there on his face, refusing to leave as the thoughts of him learning Keith’s name soon plagued his mind.

The cave returned to its silent state when the two Fae Kings ceased their talk, leaving them in deadly silence once again. To some the silence may be welcoming, to others frightening, while some were too lost in their own thoughts to care.

The hard rock didn’t allow any of the stronger wind currents to enter, only a few small passages of wind managed to enter deep and reach the two Fae. It was hard to tell what time of the day it was inside the cave, but as Keith’s eyes opened, he knew that it was the beginning of a new day.

He stretched his pale arms as well as his back, cracking his neck as he sat up from his bed. Using his power, Keith conjured water within his hands, using it to wash his face. He sighed tiredly as he looked out at the cave’s entrance, tempted to get something to eat. Early mornings would be the best time for him to leave, when the dead were least active and he could walk almost safe.

Keith moved himself to stand up, freezing when he felt the pain slowly creep towards him, making him sit down again. “Stop that.” Lance hissed from his bed, grumbling in annoyance due to being woken up by the pain. “I hate your guts.”

“Good morning to you too Lance.” Keith grumbled, remembering that yes… This was the predicament he would find himself in for a few weeks until they break this wretched curse. “Get up. We need to get some food.”

The tanned Fae didn’t respond, refusing to move from his bed, “Later. I want to sleep some more.” He wasn’t a morning person, and quite frankly, those who liked to get up in the sweetest of times for laying in bed were abnormal. No wonder Keith was an early riser since everything about him was anything but normal.

“I’m not going hungry for you.” Keith nudged the other King, “Get up or I’ll leave.”

“You cannot, it’ll be far too painful for us both.” Lance shot back, calling the other King on his bluff.

As it turned out, it was not, in fact, a bluff. Keith wasted no time walking away, hissing and clenching his teeth as dreadful pain shot through both Kings. Lance yelped, dragging himself after the other, cursing his tail as he rid of it in favor of legs and caught up with the noirette, “You bastard.”

“Inaccurate.” Keith breathed, “My mother and father are married.”

“You dreadful son of a two bit Hagraven.” Lance hissed, taking his fist and punching Keith’s shoulder, “How dare you?”

“Careful Lance, I’m sure your own mother raised you better.” Keith hummed, rubbing absently at the spot Lance had hit, “What would she say if she heard you being so rude?”

“How _dare_  you bring my mother into this?” Lance raged.

“You called my mother a Hagraven. Don’t throw around such insults if you’re not prepared to have them returned with equal power.” Keith hummed, reaching over towards some bushes and studying some berries, trying to see if they were red. Thankfully they were blackberries, perfect for breakfast. He reached over, snapping a branch and holding it up. This was neutral territory so they would be safe to eat.

“It’s hardly my fault your mother was cursed with a toad for a son.” Lance growled, slapping the branch of berries out of Keith’s hand, “You are the single most horrific being to ever walk the realms.”

“You’re the one who started this Lance.” Keith glared at the brunette, rounding on him with a harsh glare, “You’re so obsessed with me and my name. Well, I’ll never give either to you.”

Lance growled lowly at that, “I’m anything but obsessed with you. I bet you wish I was so that you could brag about it to other Kings.” He took a step closer, eyes narrowing, “It’s your own fault for being such a creep and for being a thorn in my side all these years. You know what, I bet I’m not the only Fae who sees you this way. The only difference is that I have the power to stand up to you.”

“That’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever said up until now.” Lance’s words didn’t even make sense, not in the least, “If there were more Fae that are so obsessed with me, they would show it. You’re the only one. Nobody else is as set on me as you.”

“Hah! You _wish_  I was! Stop telling me I’m _obsessing_  over you because I’m not. You really are a delusional weirdo.” The brunette eyed the tree of berries, lighting it up in blue flames. “Once you tell me your name, I’ll end you.”

“What are you doing!?” Keith hissed, pouring water over the bush to save some of the berries, “You’ve just set fire on your own source of food. I can’t believe you’d be _that_  dumb to do that!”

“If it means that you don’t get your precious berries after waking me up from my sleep then yes, it’s more than worth it.” Lance bit back, the two of them facing each other in heated glares.

Keith clenched his fists, willing himself to calm. Their current situation wasn’t good, because if they fight right now, then Allura and Lotor will be the ones to emerge victorious. And with all that was left of the night heavy in the air he didn’t dare risk anything. He couldn’t let them have that satisfaction.

“So I take it that if I find another bush of berries, you’ll burn them as well?” Keith tried to keep himself at bay, even though it was so hard to accomplish right now.

“I will.” Lance folded his arms, “If you think you can keep waking me up like that then you got another thing coming.” More than anything else, they should begin working on breaking the curse, “Forget the berries. We need to break this curse this very instant, and if there’s anything I can gather then it’s salt. We need to venture out into neutral seas. That way we’ll be able to gather tons of pure salt.”

“It will take _weeks_  to break the curse even in the seas you fool!” Keith hissed, throwing his arms up in frustration, “Weeks _you_  apparently wish to starve through.”

“Anything to keep you from getting what you want.” Lance hissed, unfolding his arms to size himself up to Keith, “You are easily the worst creature to walk these worlds. I bet the others will _thank me_  the day I rid us all of you.”

“I’m half tempted to rid the world of myself just so I won’t have to listen to to your obnoxious voice ever again. Anything is better than listening to your petty insults.” Keith snarled, feeling the familiar heat of magic angrily bubbling beneath his skin.

“Then give me your name and I’ll do us both a favor.” Lance sneered, glaring directly into Keith’s eyes.

“Never.” Keith shook his head, “I’d rather seal myself inside a Rowan tree on Annwen for ten thousand years.”

“Good, then you’ll be stuck there with your creepy father and we good Fae will never have to see you again!”

Keith gave an enraged shout, evil things whispering in his ear, encouraging his rage and distress, “How _dare_  you insult my father! At least he isn’t even half as creepy as you. I can’t go anywhere outside my realm without you turning up to bother me.”

“As if you didn’t show up whenever I appear outside my realm.” Lance grit his teeth, “If I didn't know any better, I would say you were stalking me.”

“Stalking you?” Keith scoffed, throwing his arms up, exasperated, “More like you’re the one who stalks me. Between all the illusions and your endless need to interfere with my business, it's a wonder you get any business of your own done!”

“As if my standards would sink so low.” Lance sniffed, “You’re delusional once again.”

“You keep saying that, yet I’ve spoken nothing but the truth.” Keith poked the burnette’s chest, “You’re the one who started this, you’re the one who keeps instigating this, and you’re the one who can’t even go long enough without insulting me to break a curse.”

“Like you’re so innocent.” Lance slapped the hand away, “You always retaliate. You always fall for the bait. If I didn’t know any better, then I would think you liked it.”

Keith scoffed again, “Sounds like you’re the delusional one.”

“I don’t think I am.” Lance leans forward, rubbing his hands down Keith’s chest in a mockery of a lover’s touch, “I bet you really like it. Do you dream about it Keith? Do you imagine that I would be your precious lover?”

“I wouldn’t have you if you were the only Fair Folk who wanted me.” Keith slapped Lance’s hand away, “I’d rather go on without a lover until the end of my days than have one as bitter and insulting towards me as you.”

“You say that, and yet your actions beg to differ. I think I’m starting to get a picture of what’s really happening here.” Lance stood tall, pointing his finger at Keith, “You’re accusing me of being all those things _you_  are because you want to cover your tracks! It’s easier that way to get your victim sidetracked of what you’re really doing.”

Keith felt the need to slap his hand against his forehead, which he ended up doing. “That’s madness. You’re not even making any sense. You never make any sense at all!”

“Exactly! And it’s your fault! _You’re_  driving me to madness!” Lance hissed, “You keep saying that I’m the ‘obsessed’ one and yet it’s you who’s obsessed all along! And because of your obsession, we’re in the situation we’re in right now!”

Keith growled loudly, lighting his arms on fire as he aimed to punch the tanned Fae. Lance managed to dodge, and kept dodging as Keith tried to hit him multiple times. Once he had enough, Lance enveloped his hands in water, grabbing onto Keith’s wrists.

“You’re _insane_.” Keith bit, hateful and drained and every sort of tired, “You’re the most deranged Fae I’ve ever met in my entire life!”

“That would be you.” Lance growled, “Since you project everything you are onto me.” And he had it. They’ve only been cursed yesterday but they were both on the brink of exploding already. Neither of them were going to survive this, not if they continue arguing like this.

“I can’t stand looking at your monstrous mullet anymore. I’m done.” Lance used his power, pushing himself up to levitate above the ground.

“What are you doing!?” Having a feeling Lance was about to do what he thinks he was, he grabbed onto his leg with an iron grip.

“What do you think I’m doing!? I can’t stand being around _you_  any longer!” His tone was venomous, trying to shake Keith off. The pale Fae fought back, hands turning into vines as he held the other down, preventing him from flying away and killing them both.

Blue flames lit up, trying to burn the vines while Keith hissed. He separated his hands from the vines, using the wind to push the other down onto the ground. He managed, but Lance fought back, suddenly vanishing out of sight, only to reappear close to the cave’s entrance.

It was then that the pain hit them in full force, donning on them like a large boulder. An intense flame blazed within their very bodies and souls, burning them to a crisp. Both Lance and Keith fell down onto the ground instantly, grasping onto their chests as they tried to breathe. And even if the tanned Fae wanted to go back to Keith now, it was already too late.

“A-Arghh! Ahhhhhh!” Lance screamed out loudly, tears at the edges of his eyes as the pain tore at him from inside. Keith let out an ear piercing scream as well, eyes incredibly red as he fought the pain that spread throughout his entire body like lava and poison at the same time.

By some miracle, they found it in themselves to crawl, bodies weak as they did. It wouldn’t be enough. The pain was too great and yet there was quite a distance between them. Feeling that it might be the end for him, Keith used all of the power he had to push himself forward to Lance, the air shooting him forward close enough so that he found himself an arms reach distance away.

“H-Ha… Haaa… Ughhh…” Blue eyes spotted him, reaching out and crawling closer. At this point the pain became too unbearable and they hardly found it in themselves to remain conscious. Reaching out to each other, they managed to touch each other’s hands before falling onto the ground and losing consciousness.

 

* * *

 

Keith was woken to someone patting his cheek gently, the soft slaps playing in his ears as the gentle hand tried to wake him. The noirette groaned, blinking his violent eyes open, only for the afternoon sun to glare into his eyes.

“One would think…” A deep voice rumbled, “That two Fae Kings would have a bit more dignity than to sleep in the middle of a forest.”

Keith groaned again, blinking his eyes open to find none other than The Dagda himself standing over him. It was rare to see the All Father of Fae, yet here he was, apparently having deemed Lance and himself disgraceful enough to personally check on.

“Go away Kolivan.” Keith groaned, sitting up and swatting the man’s hand away, “You should be playing the harp and bringing the new season.”

“Your mother asked me to check on you.” Kolivan hummed, “She was worried.”

Keith scolded, Kolivan was, technically, an uncle. Or rather, he was married to one of the three sisters that symbolized the Morrigan through a rather political arrangement. Keith isn’t even sure which of his mother’s two sisters he wed, since they shared the title of Morrigan and that made it hard to learn anything about which Morrigan was doing what. Still, the idea that his mother knew about this whole, rather embarrassing, situation was humiliating.

“That’s embarrassing.” Keith hummed, “But I’m alright.”

“You look like a drunkard.” Kolivan hummed, his eyes flickering over the still unconscious Lance, toeing the tanned Fae. Lance gave a groan but otherwise didn’t wake up yet. Kolivan eyed them both critically, the judgement clear in his face. “You’ve found yourself in quite the situation.”

“Yes.” Keith nodded, embarrassed that the one of the High Kings himself had found them like this. Kolivan was, technically speaking, someone Keith would be paying tribute to if his mother and father didn’t happen to be in such high positions, and if he didn’t happen to be an uncle. Still, you couldn’t tell by looking at him, he prefered to dress simply and plainly, traveling without fuss. It was something that frustrated many high Tuatha De Danaan, Keith included.

Kolivan hummed, “That is a nasty curse. Cast by Math’s daughter as well. You can hardly catch a worse curse than one from a God of Magic’s daughter.”

“Allura and Lotor were arguing.” Keith scolded, “They decided the only way to resolve their issue peacefully was to cast this curse and see which of us dies first.”

“A nasty curse indeed.” Kolivan eyed him, humming again, “I suppose you want me to break it for you.”

In that moment Keith decided he never liked Kolivan more than he did now. It was like the sun itself rose over the horizon and shined on him, renewing his entire world and making it brighter and more colorful than it had ever been, “Yes, that would be wonderful.”

Kolivan hummed again, eyeing the two of them, before scratching his chin and answering, “No, I don’t think I will.”

Keith instantly took everything back and decided that Kolivan was now his least favorite uncle ontop of being a horrible tease and his least favorite person, “I suppose there is a reason.”

“This will be a good lesson for you.” Kolivan kneeled down, brushing the dirt off of Keith’s shoulder and brushing locks of raven colored hair behind his ears, “Certainly a good lesson in patience, tolerance, and mayhaps you’ll even work through your feud with this one.”

“I doubt it.” Keith hissed, waving a hand towards the brunette, “I tried, I really did, but he’s insufferable.”

“Then it will be a good lesson for him as well.” Kolivan straightened Keith’s crown on his head, “You’ll simply need to try harder to overcome your differences.”

“There aren’t any differences, we just hate each other, there’s no real reason behind it.” Keith hisses, his fingers curling in the dirt, “Kolivan, one of us is going to _die_  if you don’t help us. It's only been a day and we already almost died. We couldn’t even get along for a _day_.”

“You will not fail.” Kolivan nodded firmly, “You are clever and strong. You can make it through this trial.”

“Kolivan, I’m very happy to know that you believe so strongly in my strength.” Keith tried to keep his voice as even as possible, “But I almost died after a single day.”

“And I trust in your intelligence enough to learn from that mistake.” Kolivan answered, waving off Keith’s concern, “I think your life being at stake should be enough of a reason to work with this boy.”

“It’s not my intelligence you should be worried about.” Keith jabbed a thumb towards Lance, “It’s his, or maybe his patience. He may very well kill me before we can break this curse.”

Kolivan hummed, eyeing Lance again, “Kill him yourself then.”

“No.” Keith shook his head, “If I do that then Lotor and Allura win.”

“I didn’t know your pride was so brittle.” Kolivan hummed again, a calculating look falling over his eye, “You don’t usually put your pride over your life, I always thought you were more practical than that.”

Keith didn’t have an answer for that.

“It seems to me that you both need this.” Kolivan stood up, stepping away from him and brushing off his clothes, “Now, if we’re done here, I need to return to my harp. The seasons are not going to move themselves.”

Keith frowned at the sight of his only hope leaving him, “Reconsider this Kolivan. I’m sure my mother would agree with me.”

“And I’m sure she would see this as an opportunity as well.” The older King moved his hand, slowly vanishing along with the wind, “The only thing I can do is bid you good fortune. I have faith in you to see this through the end.” And with that Kolivan disappeared, leaving the two Fae Kings alone once again.

Keith grumbled to himself. The notion that they could have broken the curse this very instant frustrated him, and yet he couldn’t do anything to change Kolivan’s mind. He didn’t see how this could be a good lesson for him to learn from, but deep down a part of him believed Kolivan’s words. Then again, a bigger part of him wanted to break it and be done with it.

He looked around, noting that they were in the same spot where they both lost consciousness. He could see the cave entrance before him, as well as the berry bushes that were behind him. That very same bush that Lance burned.

He eyed the tanned Fae, contemplating whether he should use this chance to carry out his vengeance. The alluring thought of stealing Lance’s voice was there, tempting with the knowledge that the other was still unconscious. He touched the red gem of his crown, eyes narrowing as he thought of whether or not to go for it.

The opportunity was more than favourable, but if he did it now Lance would know it was him. That would _definitely_  result in the two of them fighting again, undoubtedly killing themselves in the process.

Even though the opportunity was perfect, it would mark their downfall.

Keith decided to turn around so that he wasn’t facing the other, looking out into the forest in annoyance. He’d use this time wisely and think about their options. They needed berries but they also needed salt.

It should be easy enough to do, and yet somehow it already proving to be more than difficult when it came to the two of them. As is, it was impossible for them to even do the simplest of tasks.

And as Keith sat there, thinking of how to resolve their current predicament, an idea hit him. If only he could understand the reason behind Lance’s hate for him, then he would know how the tanned Fae’s deep hatred came to be. It would help him gain an upper hand, but also quell his curiosity as well. Pulling on the other’s memories would answer that for him.

Unbeknown to Keith though, Lance’s blue eyes began to open, hazy at first until the world around him slowly cleared. He could feel his body once again, tired after being exposed to such incredible pain. Luckily it would only take a bit of his magic to help him heal and get him back on his feet.

He closed his eyes for a second, taking in deep breaths before opening his blue orbs again to spot Keith’s sitting figure in front of him. Once he noticed Keith turn, he looked up, their eyes meeting in a wary gaze.

None of them said anything as Lance pushed himself up to sit on the ground, still maintaining eye contact as he did. What could be said in a situation like this? The air heavy around them as they faced each other.

Lance grumbled, deciding to ignore Keith in favor of healing his body, creating a mirror to look at himself. “Ancients!” He yelped at the sight he saw, quickly willing his hair back into place and clearing his dirtied horns. He focused on cleaning his scales as well, managing to get rid of the dirt on and between them.

Once done, he looked at himself once again, content with his appearance. “We’ll make a deal.” Lance spoke up, turning to Keith once again, “I won’t try to run away from you, but in return, you won’t be waking me up like you did this morning. I won’t stand for it.”

“Only if you don’t go around burning our food source.” Keith negotiated, settling on this for now, his opportunity to finally find answers and put his curiosity to rest passed with Lance’s waking.

“No.” Lance crossed his arms, “I’ll burn whatever I please.”

Keith sucked in a deep breath, his temper flaring for a moment, but he forced it down with the memory of Kolivan’s judgemental stare. He _had_  to find some middle ground with the other King, or else they wouldn’t get anywhere.

“Listen Lance.” Keith sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose, “I won’t do that again. But this whole situation, it needs to stop.”

“Then give me your name.” Lance snapped.

“No, Lance, I’m serious.” Keith leans his cheek against his open palm, leaning his elbow on his knee as he sat cross legged. “I know you hate me. I know that very well. And you know that you annoy me greatly, but if we want to get through this then we _need_  to put that aside for now. Else Lotor and Allura will win this game and one of us will end up dead."

The brunette hummed, eyeing Keith in a cautious manner. “You mean that you’ll end up dead. There’s no way you or the curse have enough power to kill me.” He felt the power of the curse, and knew very well of it’s dangers. Still, if he knew the rules and played by them, then he would be the one to emerge victorious.

“You’re lucky that I don’t want Allura or Lotor getting the satisfaction of winning, otherwise I would have already killed you.” He leaned his hands back against the ground, meeting Keith’s violet eyes.

The pale Fae grumbled, “At least we can agree on _something_.” Keith decided to take it as a good sign. “Neither of us want them to win, but if we’re going to be stuck like this for the next couple of weeks, then we’ll need to make compromises.”

“And you think I’ll do that?” The other was unimpressed, “You already had me sleeping in a filthy cave. I’m not stooping lower than that.”

Keith felt his temper slowly rise, “As if I like sleeping in a cave rather than my own realm. I can’t believe you’d think I’m content with the situation we’re in.”

“You would be. You enjoy seeing me suffer.” Lance answered simply while Keith had both of his hands clenched by his sides, willing himself to calm down. At a time like this he tried to remember the mantra Shiro would always repeat to him when he needed to calm.

‘Patience yields focus.’

He took in a deep breath, willing himself to calm. “You’ll have to make compromises. There’s no other way around it.”

Lance remained quiet, his blue eyes trained on Keith. A part of him wanted to admit that Keith had _some_  logic in his words, but he’d rather be cursed with a geas than admit that. He’d never agree with anything Keith said, and neither would he admit it. It meant that he had to find a solution Keith didn’t mention or think of.

Keith wanted his cooperation to get through this curse, and Lance wanted to get rid of it as well. In reality, Lance really didn’t want to kill Keith, even if the curse required it for him to free himself. No, it was an unfavourable option for him.

If Keith is gone, then who will he make fun of and pick on? As much as Keith was the bane of his existence, he was also an element he always used for entertainment. It would be a pity for Keith to meet his end here. He wouldn’t want to kill such an enigma of an individual, no matter how annoying Keith’s mullet was.

They had to come to a compromise, but Lance would rather jump down a cliff than agree with anything Keith proposes.

“Cooperating with you wields no merits for me.” Lance finally spoke, turning to look at Keith again, “Sure we’ll be able to break the curse but at the end of the day, all I can do is trap you in a jar and undo the curse myself. I don’t have to listen to anything you say.”

Keith held himself back from snorting out a laugh, “You don’t have the power to trap me in anything, much less a jar. You’re underestimating my power and I don’t like it. I really don’t understand why you wouldn’t just work with me to break the curse. Clearly it would benefit us both, unless you _want_  to be stuck with me for eternity.”

“Absolutely not.” Lance hissed at that, “The mere sight of you is already making me sick, and I’m tired of all this arguing as well.” If he’s forced to endure this for more than one week then he’ll really go mad. “This is what we’ll do.” He said firmly, “I’ll make the decisions here and you follow. I won’t kill you so you don’t have to worry about that. Clearly one of us needs to be the leader, and I refuse to listen to anything you say so it’ll obviously be me.”

“I’ll not submit to your rule Lance.” Keith sighed tirely, rubbing his forehead, “There will be no ‘leader’, and no one-sided decision making. I’ll not give into that, and you’ll certainly not. We need to work together or not at all.”

Lance placed his hands on his hips, sneering a bit at the pale Fae, “Never.”

“Look, Lance, _something_  has to make you willing to compromise.” Keith exhaled. He held up his hand, cutting off the brunette’s next sentence, “Something that _doesn’t_  involve me sharing my name, or kneeling to you.”

“Do me a favor.” Lance crossed his arms, voice flat.

“Absolutely not.” Keith growled, crossing his arms, impatient and more than a little tired of the lack of progress between them, “I’ll do nothing to subjugate myself to you. I’ll not enslave myself to you, or bind myself, or trap myself. I’m a King too, Lance, I know the rules.”

“Then there is nothing you can do.”

“Lance, our lives and both our prides are at stake. Even if one of us breaks and kills the other, we will have given into Oberon and Titania's game and proven they have the power to make us do what they want.” Keith muttered, blinking tiredly, “And no one is going to help us break it. We have to do it ourselves.”

“Oh wow! Good to know Keith! As if I already didn’t know those things.” They’ve already reached a point where Lance felt like they were moving in circles and he was sick of it. “I really don’t feel like sitting here and talking with you anymore.” He stood up, stretching his limbs, “I’m hungry for those berries.”

“The bush of berries you burnt.” Keith repeated himself for the nth time, “We’re not done negotiating here. You can’t go unless we sort this out.”

“We have nothing to sort out.” The brunette huffed, “Look, I’m hungry and I’m pretty sure you were craving some of those berries earlier. We should go eat and then _finally_  collect some salt. I can’t believe we’re not even a step closer to breaking the curse. No, instead you want to sit here and chat. Well, too bad. We need to get moving.”

Keith sat up as well, but that didn’t mean that he was content with the situation. Then again, he was hungry so the idea that they would finally eat was more than welcoming. “There are probably more berry bushes around. We’ll have to look for them.”

“Let’s go. You can blabber while I eat some berries.” Lance took a step forward, Keith following as they both walked back to the burnt bush, managing to spot another nearby. At least they were lucky with that, picking out branches before munching on some of the berries that were there.

Keith didn’t know whether he should consider this a progress or not, but at least he could eat now.

“See?” Lance snorted, “If you didn’t wake me up so rudely, maybe we would have already eaten berries like this and found salt by now but _no._ You had to be an ass about it like always.” His voice was venomous as he spoke glaring holes into the other.

“You’re the one who burnt the bush _and_  stupidly tried to fly away knowing we’re cursed.” Keith reminded, glaring right back, “This is why I hate talking to you, every time we _almost_  have a pleasant moment you have to ruin it.”

“You ruin my entire day every time you walk into a room.” Lance spoke, glaring dangerously.

“Then when this curse is over let's never see each other again.” Keith spat, snatching a branch of berries off a bush, “You can spend your life however you please, and I can spend my life however I please, and we won’t have to ever see each other again.”

“Ha! As if you could resist staying away from me.” Lance smirked, his voice still venomous and mocking, “Your obsession with me is too strong, you couldn’t go a single day without trying to catch my attention.”

Keith huffed, more than a little frustrated with the circles they were running around each other. Nothing was working, Lance was simply too prideful and foolish, so unwilling to bend that there was nothing within reason Keith could do to make the other King compromise. And frankly, he was more than a little sick of trying. This clearly wasn’t worth it, proving a point clearly wasn’t worth it, proving that Oberon and Titania had no hold on him clearly wasn't worth it.

That’s when an idea sparked in his head.

It wasn’t the most favorable option, but it was the only way he could see to get out of his situation. If he did this then not only would he rid himself of Lance, but he’ll get out of this situation without having to bend exactly to the game. Yes, it wasn’t favorable and still ended in one of them winning the game, but it worked far more in his favor than any other solution so far.

Being trapped forever in his father’s kingdom didn’t appeal to him, but it was the only way. Keith could make a good life there, and he would be prince unless his father decided to pass on the crown to him. It could be good, if not a little too smothering.

Keith nodded to himself, feeling the sharp sting of a blade materialize in his hand.

“What are you doing?” Lance demanded, standing up upon seeing the blade, “If you think I’ll-”

“I can’t stand this anymore.” Keith hissed, “I’m leaving.”

And then Keith stabbed himself in the stomach.

Blood flowed out as soon as he did, Lance’s eyes wide as he watched in utter shock. It was as if time itself suddenly slowed down, Keith’s body falling down onto the ground with the blade still pierced through him.

He fell with a thud, a pool of blood quickly forming under him. Lance’s breath hitched, frozen in place with wide eyes on the now motionless figure on the ground. “Keith!” But then came a moment when he found it in himself to move, quickly rushing to Keith’s side, hands trembling as he moved them over the blade.

Keith’s eyes were still open, choking on the blood as his violet eyes moved to look at Lance. Blue met violet for a moment, and at that point in time Lance knew that Keith’s life must have been flashing before his very eyes. The mortals always said it happened, flashbacks of their most precious moments appearing right in front them before they would pass.

Lance didn’t think rationally when he pulled the blade out of Keith, making the fallen Fae yell out in pain as he did. Then his eyes slowly closed, and it was at this moment that Lance could feel his lifeforce slowly vanishing.

“No… No, no, no!” The tanned Fae yelled out, moving his hands above the wound and trying to close it. He didn’t have the power to heal such a grave injury, but he knew what did. He closed his eyes quickly, calling upon the forest’s help, “Please help me. I need you.”

The forest heeded his call, vines and plants around them beginning to move towards them. Blue eyes opened to see a few vines already settling themselves around Keith’s upper body, more greenery appearing and focusing their power on the large wound in the stomach.

Lance concentrated his power to help them any way he could as well, even though he knew it wouldn’t do much to help, he still did. He tried to feel for Keith’s essence, placing his hand on top of his head where it was concentrated the most.

He felt it slowly gaining in strength, the small spark of flame growing once again. It sent a chill of relief throughout Lance’s body, sniffing as he looked down at Keith’s peacefully resting face. The plants slowly began uncoiling and moving away, retreating back into the forest where they came from. The wound was gone, as if it was never there.

Lance’s breath hitched, moving his arms to pick Keith’s upper body up, embracing him tightly. He felt tears fall down his cheeks without him even realising it, holding onto the unconscious form within his tight hold.

“I-I hate you.” He uttered, sobbing as he did, “I _hate_  you so much.” His voice broke, crying but never letting go of Keith’s body. He felt a slight shake in his hands, but now that he could feel the presence of Keith’s essence once again, he slowly began calming down.

He was still shaken and utterly shocked that Keith would resort to something like this. The foreign feeling of guilt spread throughout him like wildfire, knowing that he was the one responsible for this. His thoughts were conflicted, closing his eyes as he willed himself to calm down.

Only then did he remember the curse, and the idea that Oberon and Titania would have won if Keith really would have died. The thought just occurred to him but he didn’t deem it as important. He remained where he was until his tears ceased to fall, glancing back at the cave they’ve settled in.

With his mind settled, he picked Keith up, carrying him within his arms as he made his way back inside. Once he reached their beds, Lance looked down at both the moss and hay, deciding against placing Keith down there.

Instead he concentrated his power on growing vines out of the rock on top, creating the replica of the hammock he made before. Once the vines settled into place and the bed was made, Lance placed Keith onto it, looking down at his fellow Fae as he slept.

Now sure that Keith was alive and healed, Lance let himself fall beside the hammock, landing right onto his bed of hay. His eyes were wide, still recovering from the fresh shock he’d just witnessed. He raised his hands up in the air, looking at them in utter conflict.

Keith will never know.

Once he wakes up, he won’t remember anything until the point where he lost consciousness. He’ll find himself in bed with no memory of what happened. It was these thoughts that gave Lance some relief, finding comfort in the thought that Keith won’t know what he had done.

He won’t know and he’ll be alive. It was an outcome that would benefit Lance more than anything else.

His hands were still shaking, the tanned fingers cleaned of Keith’s blood, yet he could still feel it there. He shouldn’t care so much, didn’t even know why he did, but he did. He hadn’t wanted the pale Fae to die. He just…

Lance’s shoulders shook. He couldn’t name this feeling, irrational and attached, the fear spreading through him like a snake slithering through his veins. Even with his eyes locked onto the sleeping King, alive and well within reach, he just couldn’t stop shaking.

For all he couldn’t stand the other King, Lance had never imagined a world where he’d truly be _gone_. Out of reach forever, locked away in Arwan’s castle where he would never be seen again. Lance doubts that even his father could find Keith again.

He couldn’t explain it, but the thought of not having Keith made him ill.

Ever since he’d first laid eyes on the pale Fae, Lance knew he wanted to make him submit. He could no more explain it than he could deny it. There had just been something about the other that lit a raging fire within him, something that no drunken delight or lover’s satisfaction could quell. Lance knew it had to be hatred, pure and raw, on a level he’d never known before and would probably never know again.

And Keith had almost been lost to him forever. That vicious fire almost smothered out by a single thrust of a knife. Lance should be satisfied that he was the one who’d done it, that he was the one who drove Keith that far, that he had that _power_  over Keith, but he wasn’t. It was strange, but it felt _wrong_  to him somehow. This wasn’t what he wanted, not at all, and the reality of it felt like poison.

Lance reached upward, his fingers brushing against loose locks of hair. He could feel the lingering heat of Keith’s body through the locks, proof that the noirette was very much alive and safe.

He’d nearly lost Keith _forever_.

He couldn’t afford to do this anymore. He needed to change his methods. Keith wouldn’t bend the way he wanted to, no, he had to do something else. He couldn’t afford to lose Keith. He _couldn’t_.

“How dare you?” Lance whispered, his fingers tracing along the back of the pale Fae’s neck. He had to be given the Fae’s true name, to make sure nothing like _this_  ever happened again. Keith couldn’t be trusted. Didn’t Keith realize his life wasn’t his? It was Lance’s. The brunette had invested too much time and care into the other Fae only to lose him.

“Never again.” Lance whispered, a sudden rage filling him, “You’ll never be rid of me that easily Keith. You think death would stop me? I’ll sail to Annwen myself and find you. How dare you try and leave our game unfinished? I’ll never forgive the slight if you leave.”

Boiling rage filled him, eyes narrowing dangerously as he looked at the other’s sleeping face. He let himself fall back onto his bed, seated as he glanced over at the pile of wood in the middle of the cave. He lit it ablaze, letting the fire warm up the cold cave.

He needed to calm himself, too angry and out of himself to do anything else. He took in a deep breath before exhaling, blue glowing eyes watching as the flame flickered and danced within the dark of the cave.

Lance indulged himself in his own conflicting thoughts, waiting for the other to wake up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MsBluebell: I, a pagan, have taken my greatest challenge and wrote a story about the Fae while trying to remain as accurate to the lore as possible. I'm told that this was a fun read though. Just keep in mind the Fae are fucky at best. Also, funny story, supposedly my many greats grandmother is a Bean Sidhe. Ya'll better watch out. XD
> 
> BlueStarPaladin: We're at it again with a brand new Klance story! This one is shorter compared to the rest of our stories but it's just as satisfying to us. We hope you'll like it and that you're not weirded out too much by the Fae XD Trust me, they're super weird and even weirder to write XD To all artists out there, if you like any of our stories then please feel free to draw anything inspired by our stories. (I lowkey crave fanart XD) This is a long two-shot so the next chapter is the last one. Happy October! And Inktober!
> 
> Chapter Betaed by the wonderful SilviaMoon.
> 
> Story title comes from a song of the same name. An Irish song. Here's a link to a Celtic Woman Cover: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OIFI8DVyP4Y
> 
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	2. The Chase

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the previous chapter for fae rules. If you don't know them it may be a bit hard for you to understand some plot points.

* * *

_“We’re all a little weird. And life is a little weird._ _And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness—and call it love—true love.”_

\- Robert Fulghum

~

The darkness around him was welcoming, empty and void of life. Keith felt his own transition from the world of the living into his father’s realm, already spotting it in the distance. That would be the place where he would spend eternity, his new home.

He had already come to terms that he’d never be able to leave it, unless his father made him a king instead. However, even that wasn’t certain. This would mark the new beginning of a new chapter in his life, and he thinks he’s ready for it.

However, what surprised him was that even though he was sailing towards it, his father’s realm was now further and further away from him. He watched as its gates vanished, denying him access. It was strange, even stranger still when he felt a surge of life course through him once again.

He felt his own magic coming back to life, the essence of his flame return in full force. It puzzled him, even when he felt his power revive. Then he noticed light amidst the dark, overcoming any speck of black and swallowing him whole.

Keith covered his eyes while the light shined, opening them again only to find himself looking at the ceiling of a cave. He blinked, glancing around to notice that he was laying down on a vined hammock, attached to the rock above.

This looked familiar.

He pushed himself up, realizing that the wound on his stomach wasn’t there. He also saw the fire in the middle, turning when he felt a sharp gaze on him. “Lance,” he spoke, eyes meeting Lance’s own glowing orbs.

“Keith.” Lance said, seated within his bed with legs folded up to his chest. The expression on Lance’s face was strange, one Keith couldn’t exactly pinpoint. However, he did feel the weight of Lance’s gaze on him, those eyes judging him. “You’re a fool.” Lance spoke, his voice even, “You’re such a fool.”

Keith furrowed his brows, unsure why exactly he found himself back in the cave instead of his father’s realm, “You brought me back.” It was the only explanation he could think of that made sense.

“I did.” Lance confirmed that, “If I didn’t then Oberon and Titania would have won. I thought it was something both of us agreed that we didn’t want. I can’t believe you tried to pull something like that on me of all people. That’s unforgivable.”

“The way things were going, Oberon and Titania would have won anyway.” Keith sniffed, moving to hang his legs off the side of the hammock, using the bed as a swing, “And I couldn’t stand the thought of another moment with you, so I decided to find the path that worked most in my favor.”

“Ending your own life.” Lance’s lip twitched, but his expression didn’t change. It was odd for the normally dramatic and expressive Lance, something was certainly off with him, “I fail to see how that was to your benefit.”

“It was the only way to escape your overbearing presence.” Keith huffed, swinging on his makeshift swing, “I escape their game in a way that never fully satisfies them, and I certainly escape _you_  forever.”

Lance remained silent, staring up at him with a stony expression, lips set in a firm line. Keith stared back, silent and waiting, wondering what the other would do. It took several long moments for the brunette to speak, his voice even and cold as he spoke, “You’ll never do that again.”

“I will if I must.” Keith responded, a small flame of irritation filling him, “I’ll do with my life as I please.”

“You’ll not.” Lance hissed, eyes falling into a small glare, his body shaking the smallest bit, “If you do I’ll find your body and heal it. I’ll drag you back to life.”

“One would think you would be happy.” Keith snarled, stopping his swinging as he glared down at Lance, “It’s you that wishes to rid the world of me.”

“That’s right.” Lance snapped, throwing himself up and grabbing Keith’s wrist, “I’ll be the one that rids the world of you, and no one else. Your life isn’t your own to take, and I’ll never allow you to try. If anyone else kills you, I’ll sail to Annawan myself and drag you back.”

“Such arrogance.” Keith hissed snatching his hand away, “You are the greatest fool of them all to think you could stop me, much less find me, if I wished to join my father’s kingdom. The Hunt still rides this season Lance, and it would be as easy as walking into the forest if I wanted him to rip me away. Death was just the fastest way.”

“Then I won’t let you out into the forest.” Lance hisses, “I’ll turn the stones here into salt and grow herbs here within the cave if I must, but I won’t let you escape my reach.”

“We cannot even last a day with this curse.” Keith shot back, leaning forward to level his own glare at Lance, “I’ve tried death and I tried compromise Lance, there is no other option I’m willing to take. Make your choice of which you’re willing to deal with.”

The tanned Fae bit his lip, thinking over the options he was faced with. He felt a wave of irritation wash over him but he pushed it down in favour of solving the problem on their hands. Inevitably he’ll have to come to a compromise, whether he liked it or not. He was conscious that the limitations of the curse stripped all freedom away from him, and now he’s stuck like this until they get rid of it.

More than anything, he hated the idea of agreeing with Keith but it had come to the point where he had to agree. He decided that he would, with the thought of eventually ruining the other once they were free of the curse.

“I’ll make a compromise.” Lance narrowed his eyes, “But that doesn’t mean that you get to order me around.”

“That’s never what I implied from the very beginning.” Keith stressed that. “It’s always been about mutual cooperation.”

“Whatever.” The other folded his arms, “I’m agreeing to it so there you have it.” It was a blow to his pride but he’ll take it, “So this means that when I decide to approach a cherry tree I like, you get to follow me around so that I can eat it.”

“And the same would go for you. If I see a cherry tree  _I_ like, you have to go with me so that I can get to it.” This way they would both get what they want, “And without the needless fights, we’ll get more stuff done.”

“I don’t want you to judge me on decisions that don’t influence you.” Lance interrupted, Keith quirking a brow. “Such as my bed. You’re not sleeping on it so you don’t get to comment on it.”

The pale King rolled his eyes, “And you don’t influence my own decisions when it comes to those things as well.” Finally they were making progress.

“Fine.” Lance turned to look at the cave entrance, feeling his stomach rumble, “With that settled we should go outside to eat. I didn’t get to eat anything before you decided to commit suicide.”

“Yes, food would be nice.” Keith stood up, stepping into place next to Lance, closing the barely existent gap between them. Lance made a huffing noise and crossed his arms but otherwise remained quiet. The silence fell heavily over them as they exited the cave, the sun’s position showing that it was late in the evening. The two of them had wasted nearly a whole day, a day of Samhain at that, a vital magical time of the year. Today would have been more than helpful for cleansing themselves and ticking off days worth of time breaking the curse.

Keith sighed, keeping the irritation under control. Not all was lost, he’d finally gotten Lance to act bearable and compromise with him, which was far more helpful to them in the long run, and they still had two nights and a day of Samhain. As long and he and Lance kept up this tentative peace then they should be able to make it through this.

Still, there was an amusing bit of irony in the fact that Keith’s willingness to cheat at the game and end his own life was what lead to Lance finally giving in and listening to good sense. An impulsive, barely calculated, action that Keith had no idea would even affect the other in such a way.

They reached the blackberry bushes, the two of them once again settled onto the forest floor and plucked berries from their stems. The heavy silence still weighed over them, thick and heavy, and the way Lance kept watching him made Keith wonder if the brunette still had something to say to him. They ate in silence though, the berries tart and good on his tongue, his stomach becoming satisfied with the meal.

Lance was still watching him well after Keith had finished eating, slowly and steadily eating his own berries. Keith sat in silence, waiting for him to finish, twirling a dead leaf between his fingers. It was strange to sit in the place he nearly died just a few short hours ago, a place he very much intended to end his life. It felt strangely empty, especially since it seemed the forest had rid itself of the evidence of what he’d done here. There wasn’t even a drop of blood in sight.

He wondered if the strange look Lance was giving him resulted from where they were. It could be that Lance was suspicious that Keith would suddenly take out a knife and stab himself again, ridiculous as the thought may be now that Keith had gotten the compromise he’d so desperately wanted.

Keith hummed, studying Lance’s face closer. There was a gleam in those blue eyes, something he thinks may have been there before, but only in brief glimpses, quick to die as soon as it came to attention. It was deep, familiar...possessive.

Keith almost shivered, almost. He wouldn’t lie, there was something appealing about the thought. Fair Folk, by their very nature, were possessive. But most were also fickle and didn’t have the patience to pay attention to their possessions so any appeal was lost. There was no fun in acquiring without any true follow up. Games weren’t any fun when only one person was playing.

If was probably the most frustrating thing about Lance, he had all the signs of a fun partner with none of the fun and affection to make up for it. Keith had been hopeful that Lance’s games were affectionate at first, but he learned very quickly that there was no room for such thoughts there. So Keith turned his head to face away from from the tanned King, staring out into the forest, eyes open for lingering Fae hunting through the mortal realm for the great passover to the Dark Year. Lance could finish his meal without being stared at.

Keith busied himself looking around while Lance ate, and luckily it didn’t take the brunette long to finish his meal, “Those were some good berries.” He noted, licking at his fingers, “We had luck.”

“I liked them as well.” The pale Fae turned back to look at the other, watching as Lance plucked one more berry and ate it.

“We should go search for salt now and start cleansing ourselves. As I said before, if there’s anything I can gather then it’s salt.” The brunette grinned, smug. “We’ll travel to neutral seas and get salt from there. Then we’ll come back here and start the cleansing.”

Keith decided to think about this first before doing anything he might regret. He knew that there were many sea gods that ruled the oceans, but then again, it’s not like they could rule _all_  of them. They may be able to go if they find neutral waters they could travel to. “As long as the sea is neutral, I don’t have a problem with it.”

“It will be.” Lance assured, and even though he was done eating, he plucked another berry to eat, “I know the sea better than land, which also means that I know which parts of it are under whose control. I’ll take us to neutral waters.”

“I’m not going to seas that are controlled by your father.” Keith decided to make that clear once again, standing up, “It’s either neutral seas or no salt at all today.” They’d have to find other sources that would provide them with the salt they needed for cleansing.

“Geez… You’re such a stick in the mud. I _know_  we’re not going to our parents’ realms.” Lance stood up, patting at his clothes, “It’s already evening so flying out towards the sea will take us a while. The best option would be for you to trust me so that I can transport us there.”

Keith crossed his arms, considering his options. It was already late so flying really would take them a while. He’ll also admit to himself that Lance most likely knew more about the seas so it would be better to let him take them there. Then again, there was the question of trust.

If anything happens, he still has the option of joining his father within his realm. Keith decided to give it a go. “If you take us to your father’s seas then I’m dragging you back here by force.” He gave out a warning, his voice low.

Lance rolled his eyes, extending his hand out for Keith to take, “I want the salt as much as you do. We’re _cooperating_  right now so take comfort in that. Also, I want to begin bathing already.”

The pale Fae observed the other, making the decision whether to go for it or not. In the end, he decided to take Lance’s hand, the brunette sticking out his tongue as he focused his power. The green vegetation around them disappeared and instead they found themselves standing on soft sand, the calm waves of the ocean washing ashore.

They both let go of each other, Lance placing his hands on his hips, taking in a deep breath of the cold salty winds that blew against them. “There’s nothing as relaxing as the ocean.” He purred in contentment, “I could stay here forever.”

“We’re not staying here.” Keith reminded, looking around to see if the land was familiar. Luckily he couldn’t sense any gods around, which meant that this really was a neutral part of the shore. “Let’s gather the salt and get out of here.”

“What a way to break the moment.” Lance grumbled, turning to look out into the vast blue, “Watch and learn.” He raised his hands up, gathering some of the water in the air before evaporating it, leaving behind the precious salt they needed.

Keith willed himself to create storage bags for the salt they would gather, putting the mineral inside while Lance continued to evaporated the water and get salt from it. Surprisingly when they weren’t arguing, they managed to get a lot of work done.

With about five large bags filled to the brim already, the two deemed it enough for them to go back to the cave. “I told you I could get the salt.” Lance noted smugly, yet there was still a tint of resentment in his eyes, “Five bags worth of it.”

Keith decided better than reminding Lance that any Fae that _couldn’t_  do such a simple task was much too weak to be part of their particular line of Fair Folk, so weak that they may as well be mortal. Actually, even mortals could gather salt with enough time and effort. Instead, Keith rolled his eyes and gathered the bags, “Lets get back, we still need to gather sage, rosemary, and blackthorn for the ritual.”

Lance huffed, displeased with Keith’s dismissal, but gathered the bags and wrapped his arms around the pale King, “Fine, you take us back, I’ve wasted enough power on you today.”

Keith didn’t waste words on a comeback, instead opting to transport them back towards the cave, the world around them changing and the throb of power pulsing around them. Then they were back in the cave. Lance dropped his arms, moving to open the bags. The two of them walked over to the pool, Lance dumping a bag of salt into it without much fuss.

The noirette nodded as Lance stirred the water with his hand, mixing the salt with the water and warming it as he spun. Keith pressed his hands together, whispering into his closed fists and opening them to find the much needed herbs, fresh and summoned from his own realm. He crushed them in one hand, tearing them apart and dumping them into the water as Lance continued to stir. Steam rose from the pool now, the fresh smell of the herbs filling the cave.

They’d have to soak until the water cooled, then exit the water and wash off the salt before reciting the right chant to the forest. That would weaken the curse a bit, probably even enough to give them a few inches of space if they were particularly lucky. If they continued to do this then eventually the curse would weaken enough to break.

“We best get this over with.” Keith muttered, slipping off his clothing. He dumped his clothes into a pile, yanking off his crown and combing the leaves out of his hair with his fingers. He stood there, nude and ready to get this whole ordeal over with without looking at the other King.

He dipped his toe in first, testing the water, once he judged the temperature warm enough he placed his whole foot into the pool and let himself sink, his hand reaching back to grab Lance’s leg and rub downwards so he didn’t risk activating the curse as he sank. His hand was firmly wrapped around Lance’s naked ankle by the time he reached the bottom of the water. The water felt nice on his abused and neglected skin, and Keith let out a contented sigh as he was _almost_  able to relax into the water.

Almost.

His hand was still around Lance’s ankle, stretched over his head and so that he could reach. Violet eyes flickered upward, meeting blue, “The water is nice.”

“I can see that.” Lance proceeded to tug at his upper clothing, throwing Keith a glare before he would pull it up, “Turn around. I don’t need a creep looking at me while I undress.”

“And here I thought humans were the only ones unwilling to take their clothes off in front of others.” Keith sighed, looking away to save himself the trouble. They already had the water and everything set up. He didn’t want to waste it by anything dumb Lance might do.

“Not my fault you’re a creep.” The brunette proceeded to take off his shirt, and then the rest of his clothing as well, “Usually I wouldn’t care but since _you’re_  here, I do.” Keith would most likely stare at him till his eyes fell out. Not that he could blame him, he was a sight to behold.

Lance shook Keith’s hand off as he entered the water, putting as much space between them as the curse would allow, “You stay on your side and I’ll stay on mine. Got it?”

Keith grumbled lowly, throwing Lance an irritated glare. The brunette decided to ignore him though, letting himself relax as he brought his scaly legs together, blending them until they were replaced by a beautiful long mer tail. A stunning fin grew out at the end, and the tail became so long that the end of it was poking out of the pool.

Lance grinned to himself as he admired his tail, stroking it with his hand in admiration. He threw a mischievous look Keith’s way before submerging himself under, allowing the water to pass through his gills and wet his hair. It felt good to have his horns covered with water as well, running his hands through them before surfacing again.

The makeshift pool was made to mimic a bathtub so there was no way Lance would be able to move, much less swim. At least they finally took the first step to ridding themselves of the curse, and that’s what mattered.

“You’re so dull.” Lance leaned his back against the rock, settling himself down in the water, “You never change your appearance. A mortal would give anything for a chance to change yet you remain the same. How boring.”

“I change form when needed, nothing more, nothing less.” Keith grunted, shoving Lance’s tail to the side in an attempt to make more room for himself, “At least I don’t take up all the space.”

“Oh, but Keith, I have to make sure I don’t cause the curse to harm us somehow.” Lance smirked, “Besides, at this point I doubt you can even change your shape.”

“You know very well I can.” The pale King glared as the blue tail draped over his shoulder he tried to shove it off, but there was so little room it simply couldn’t be moved. “Change into something smaller, you’re all over me.”

“You change into something smaller.” Lance fired back with a smirk, “Though I’m very seriously starting to doubt you can, I’ve never seen you do so, and I wonder if maybe the Death God’s blood in you keeps you from changing form. Like with the mortals you share so much with.”

“Fine.” Keith clicked his tongue, glaring. Then Lance felt something change. He frowned, wondering what it was at first, then it hit him that the water level was rising. If felt like Keith’s legs were changing, though Lance couldn’t tell _what_  they changed into at first. He stared at Keith’s face, twisted with irritation, “If you insist on being a fish then I’ll become something that _eats_  fish.”

At first Lance assumed Keith would turn into a raven or crow, like his mother was so famous for, because he couldn’t feel the other’s legs. Then he felt something… a lot of somethings… something long… and covered in…

Lance choked as long, thick, tentacles wriggled out of the water, hundreds of suction cups pulsing and grabbing at him as they slithered out of the water, wrapping around his beautiful tail with their terrible, horrible, slimy glory.

Lance shrieked.

Keith flinched, having obviously not expected such a verbal reaction from the brunette. The pale King blinked, confused, before realization dawned on him. He rose a bit, and Lance was horrified to see that his entire bottom half was a fleshy horror of tentacles and gapping suckers. Violet eyes blinked, and the noirette spoke in a voice heavy with disbelief, “You’re _terrified_  of octopi.”

“They’re _gross_.” Lance hissed, trying to free himself from Keith’s _horrible_  suckers, “Three of their tentacles can move on their own! Even when you rip them off! And ink! And their suckers move on their own! And they’re venomous! And _oh gods_ one of these tentacles is your cock!”

Keith blinked at him, still astonished, “Your father is a _sea god_. A sea god of sailors and merchants. He regularly sails to Annawan.”

“Yes, and the octopus is the _most horrible creature in the sea_.” Lance shrieked again.

“There are _giant sharks_  in the ocean.” Keith still couldn’t seem to comprehend Lance’s distaste for the creatures.

“Sharks are adorable! An octopus is the most slimy and horrible creature in the world.” Lance tried to peel off the _horrible_  limbs from around his tail, “They can rip their cocks off and it still wriggles around so females can use it later!”

Keith blinked, like he didn’t know what to do with this new bit of information.

“Hiiiii!!!” Lance shrieked when he felt more of those slimy tentacles move around his beautiful tail, using his power so that the water would push them away. In the speed of light, Lance quickly willed his tail to disappear, turning into scaly legs once again. He moved to get out of the pool while Keith’s tentacles were still off him, wincing when he felt one grab at his leg.

“You can’t run away.” At this point a mischievous grin appeared on Keith’s face, “We have to stay together.” He pulled on the tanned leg while Lance felt a cold shiver run throughout his entire body, hair standing on the edge of his skin.

“If you don’t let go, you’ll regret-Hiiii!!!” He shrieked once more tentacles rose from under the water, crawling towards him. Fearful for his life, Lance used his power to get the tentacle holding him to let go. Once he was out of the pool, both he and Keith felt the lingering pain creep at them from within. It prompted Lance to move closer, but never daring to enter the pool again.

He sat on the ground, creating a glass barrier around himself for protection. Curling in on himself, Lance shivered, glancing down at Keith who was watching him in amusement now. “I can’t believe the son of a sea god would be _terrified_  of octopi, a sea creature.”

“I _hate_  you so much.” Lance hissed, watching those tentacles warily, “You’ll pay for this mullet. Oh you’re _so_  gonna pay for this. I’ll bestow my wrath upon you!”

“You were asking me to change my appearance Lance.” Keith answered simply, leaning contently against the rock, “I didn’t do anything you didn’t ask for.”

“You knew! You must have known! Why else would you change into something as hideous as an octopi? Oh gods… Your taste is _terrible.”_ Lance sniffed, rubbing at his face. He still felt the lingering slime on his legs, making him shiver.

“You’re crying.” Keith noted, more than surprised, “You’re really crying.”

“No I’m not.” Lance hissed back, rubbing at his eyes some more, “This is an illusion. You really think I would cry because of you! Pfft! In your dreams!” Curses! Keith will pay dearly for this humiliation. He won’t stand for it.

Keith hummed, violet eyes looking at the other, “Perhaps it’s a fetish.” He mused, “I bet that’s what it is.”

That prompted Lance to hiss loudly, “Only a creep like _you_  would say something like that! That’s gross!”

The pale Fae remained in the pool, moving his tentacles around and out of the water so that Lance could see them. This was oddly satisfying, especially now that he had the pool to himself. His lips curved as his eyes met blue, wiggling his tentacles some more and touching at the glass.

“Two can play at this game.” Lance tried to compose himself, glaring holes into the other, “I wonder what you would do if I did something you find just as gross.”

“You can’t do anything to me Lance. Not while trapped in a glass cage like that. How pitiful.” Keith mused, satisfied with their current position.

“Careful mullet. I just might prove you wrong.” And Lance was willing to do just that. His body morphed and changed as he turned into a woman. His body bare as the transformation ceased, smirking while he looked over at Keith. “Well? What do you think?”

“I’m not impressed.” The other Fae wasn’t affected at all, continuing to probe at the glass. However, Lance’s smirk was still there, taunting the ravenette as he stretched his legs.

“I’m not done.” Lance used his power, creating an illusion of Keith as he glanced to the side at the real deal. “Keithy and I are going to have so much fun.” He mocked, moving his female body to place a peck onto fake Keith’s lips. The other seemed to enjoy it as Lance moved his arms around him, teasingly looking at the real Fae, “ _Now_  are you willing to come to a compromise mullet? It’s okay if you don’t because it just means that Keithy and I are going to have more fun while you watch.”

“You just turned yourself into a woman so you could pretend to have sex with me.” Keith muttered, his long tentacles swaying beneath the water, still soaking in the precious bath. He looked oh so confused and innocent, like he hadn’t started this.

Lance wriggled, letting his exposed breasts bounce. He was all female on the outside now, and the body felt too tight and heavy in all the wrong places around him, but it would be worth it to get back at Keith. He slid forward, pressing himself against the fake Keith, his lips coming to rest against a nonexistent neck. It was strange, like kissing air, but the point wasn’t to feel good it was to get one over the asshole.

Keith, from his place next to them, wriggled his nose in disgust, “And yet you deny having an obsession with me.”

The fake Keith made a pleased noise, his hands seemingly rubbing down Lance’s torso to her hips, creeping ever downward. Again, there was no feeling but cold air, but Lance let out noises of fake pleasure anyway.

“...Wait…” Keith perked up, confused again, “...You’re trying to disgust me by the idea of sleeping with _you_...and yet you turned into a woman.”

The pale jerk was making it even harder for Lance to pretend he was pleasured when he wouldn’t _shut up_. He knew for a _fact_  that Keith should be every level of disgusted right now, and yet here he was, analysing Lance’s illusion.

“...Wait...no…” Keith tried to work his way up, his eyebrows shooting up as he seemingly came to a realization, “You know I’m not attracted to females! Yet you still alway use them in your illusions to seduce me!”

“Only you could take the joy out of something like this.” Lance replied, leaning backwards. The illusion of Keith hovers over his body now, working his hands over the brunette's female body, acts heavily sexual, but Lance didn’t bother pretending to be pleasured anymore.

“You planned on seducing me with illusions you knew wouldn’t work.” Keith fixated on that minute detail, “It makes no sense.”

“Pay attention.” Lance snapped, irritated that Keith’s attention wasn’t on his latest attempt to break the Fae King.

“You’ve never made sense to me.” Keith decides to fix his problem by turning around and not look at Lance and the illusion at all, lounging in the pool like an arsehole. “Now you simply make less sense.”

“ _Oh_  how naive you are mullet. I shall indulge you in my genius plans and explain the reasoning behind my actions.” Lance mused, although he was disappointed by the way Keith was acting. He was absolutely sure that Keith would be disgusted and yet here he was, watching as if he didn’t find it disturbing at all.

“Indulge me then.” Keith agreed, not turning as he leaned against the rock behind him.

Lance grumbled, seating himself up while pushing the fake Keith away, “There are varying kinds of illusions I use on you. In some I use females, while in others I used other people.” A mischievous idea hit him, “Or maybe you didn’t notice that some of those people were illusions… How lowly of you.”

“Right.” The pale Fae rolled his eyes, “I knew every time I saw your illusion Lance. I saw through them all.”

“I don’t know if I believe you.” Lance’s lips curved, laying himself flat on the stomach as he leaned closer to Keith, although he did maintain the glass between them for the sake of protecting himself against the tentacles, “My female illusions were _meant_  to annoy you, and it worked every time.” He’d received some _beautiful_  reactions using those.

“But there were other times where I used random people to see how you would react. I’m sure you remember the time I used an illusion of Pidge on you.” Keith had been sleeping on a branch peacefully at the time, so it was the perfect opportunity for him to use Pidge in order to scare him.

“I remember. You were an ass.” Keith huffed at the memory of the rude awakening, followed by another battle between him and Lance. As was usual whenever the two of them would meet.

Lance hummed contently, twirling a string of his hair around his finger, “Here you are trying to figure out the point of my illusions and yet you know nothing. The conclusion you came to was false.”

“Or you’re trying to trick me.” The scepticism could be felt in Keith’s voice, “You don’t make any sense.”

The brunette frowned at that, displeased by the reaction he was getting. He pushed himself up, glaring holes into the other while trying to think of what he could do to get Keith back for the tentacles. His blue eyes moved onto fake Keith who was patiently seated next to him, an idea coming to mind.

He let himself return back to his previous form, the scales and horns taking shape once again. He hummed contently, eyeing Keith’s back, “Alright, then if you don’t find yourself performing sexual acts with a female appalling, then how about this?” He willed the fake Keith to come closer, letting out a pleased moan.

“Surely you’ll find the sight of yourself submitting to me more than thrilling.” He leaned in closer to fake Keith, feeling the cold air where the illusion was, “Perhaps you should be grateful. This is your future after all once I get my hands on your real name. You’ll be my slave for eternity.”

The real Keith twitched, and that was all the sign Lance needed to continue. He willed the illusion to let out a wanton moan, the mirror image arching against him as the brunette made sure to spread the image’s pale thighs around his waist.

Keith, the real Keith, remained rigid. Violet eyes had flickered over Lance in morbid curiosity, but now the pale King sat frozen in place. Lance let out a pleased smirk, thrusting his hips in a similar rhythm to what he’d do if it were the real thing. The image let out lewd sounds, bouncing like an excited whore against the tanned body.

“You’re so small and tight.” Lance mocked, letting out a fake moan, the image was real, and he didn’t actually feel anything, but joy that came from seeing real Keith’s mortified face was enough. And the image of a lewd, begging, submitted Keith did things to him. And that’s what the mirror image was doing, begging for more, presenting everything about himself like a good pet, knowing well who he belonged to.

“My King.” The fake Keith moaned again, still bouncing, pale flesh shiny as he arched again.

The real Keith shook his head, a mix of all sorts of different emotions playing across his face. Mortification, shock, disbelief, and something else that Lance only caught the briefest glimpse of.

“I didn’t know how far this fixation on me ran.” Keith finally spoke after a while, his voice forcibly neutral, “Mayhaps I _should_  run off to my father’s kingdom. Clearly I am trapped with a deviant.”

“You like it.” Lance mused, “You’d never want to escape this. I’m showing you both your future as well as your wildest fantasies. You should be thanking me.”

“You’re mad.” Keith remained still, eyeing his fake self and the way he was moving his hands all over Lance’s exposed chest.

“Not as mad as you think. Clearly it’s having a bigger effect on you than my female body. The way I see it, you find the idea of submitting to me appealing at least. You can’t deny it, I can see it.” The tanned Fae purred, contently reaching out to touch fake Keith’s cheek and run his hand down the other’s body in a provoking manner.

“Tell me what you want already.” Keith turned back to look away. If Lance was doing this, then there was something he wanted to get out of it. Keith would like to think that he knows the brunette at least this much to know.

“I want your tentacles gone.” Lance demanded, “No more tentacles in the pool. They’re unsightly.”

“Fine.” Keith could agree to that, “But I don’t want you taking all the space with your tail. We both have our sides so you have to stay on your own.”

“You brute.” The other bit, “Others would give anything to have the opportunity to admire my beauty and yet here you are, denying it.”

“Whatever. I laid my terms.” Keith waved him off.

Lance considered his options, but at the notion of the tentacles being gone, he decided to agree. “Fine.” He hissed before turning to fake Keith, his tone teasing as he spoke, “I’m sorry dear, we’ll play some other time.” He waved his hand, willing the illusion to disappear.

As the image disappeared, the real Fae retreated his tentacles, turning them back into his legs. Lance pulled down the glass between them, hopping down contently into the pool once again. He let out a relieved sigh once he did. Submerging himself before surfacing once again. He leaned his upper body against the rocks, letting himself relax.

“I think I just learned something new today. Who would have thought I would learn two secrets in two days. I wonder what you’ll reveal to me tomorrow. I’m curious to know.” Lance mused, humming contently.

“I’m very curious what great secrets you think you’ve learned.” Keith cracked his neck, leaning back against his side of the tub with a satisfied hum. “You’ve learned nothing I was hiding. My distaste for female lovers is well known, as is my devotion.”

No, they weren’t, otherwise Lance would have known of them before. Keith may not have been trying overly hard to hide them, but they were certainly unknown and Lance felt triumphant now that he had learned them. There was nothing that Keith could say that could ruin the victory.

“Besides which, I’ve learned far more damaging secrets.” Keith reached up, twisting locks of his own hair together in something a bit like a braid, “Like the fact the son of a sea god is terrified of octopi, or the fact you’re obsessed with me becoming your lover.”

Almost nothing.

“You think you’re worthy of being one of my lovers?” Lance scowled, “No, you’d be nothing more than a thrall, a perfectly submissive slave.”

“And yet you just showed me a vivid fantasy of you seducing me.” Violet eyes sparkled, pink lips turning into a smirk as the pale Fae King turned to face Lance, “You must think of it quite a bit.”

“What I think of is you finally shutting your mouth.” Lance scolded, “I’ll be sure to seal your voice away once I finally have your name.”

“You wouldn’t.” Keith scoffed, “That would ruin your fantasies far too much. That image you conjured up of me was _very_  vocal.”

It was Lance’s turn to scoff, “Those are hardly my fantasies. It was a premonition of your future once I finally make you mine.”

Keith was silent for a long moment, his violet eyes calculating as they flickered over Lance’s form. His lips quirked after another moment, head titling as he finally seemed to come to his own conclusions, “I think I may finally understand your madness a bit Lance.”

“Oh?” Lance quirked a brow, “The way you speak, I don’t believe you do.”

“Believe or disbelieve, it hardly matters.” Keith turns away with a smirk, “I know the truth for myself.”

Lance, scoffs again, seizing one of Keith’s wrists and dragging him closer, leaning over to whisper into the pale ears, “Say whatever you think, but you and I both know the truth here. Just give in to your desires, I’ll give you what you want. Just give me your name.”

Keith snatched his hand back, jerking away with a harsh glare, “Never.”

“You say that, and yet it was me who saved you from the underworld. The way I see it, you should be thankful I brought you back to life.” Lance’s blue eyes remained on Keith, observing and noting every inch of his face, “You owe me.”

“I owe you nothing. I made my choice and you made yours.” Keith looked back cautiously, the both of them maintaining eye contact. “A surprising choice, but you still made it.” His smirk crept back onto his face, “Which only supports my own view on the matter.”

Lance quirked a brow, grumbling in dissatisfaction, “You still owe me.” He slowly settled himself back on the rock, letting himself relax, “You’ll break, and when that day comes, I’ll get what I want.”

“Indulge in your delusions Lance.” Keith relaxed as well, moving his hand through the water, “I know the truth.”

“Sure.” The other mocked while Keith looked up at the rock above, thoughts drifting to many different things. What he’d learned today was unexpected but it would explain many of the things Lance did in the past. It was a theory but he was fairly confident in it for the time being.

The both of them found themselves in a strange silence, not really noticing it as their minds drifted and thought about many different things. There was a lot to think about, and it wasn’t a surprise since a lot had happened after Oberon and Titania’s party.

They suddenly found themselves in a strange curse, unable to separate a foot away from each other even for a second. Then they almost died the day after when Lance burned the berry bush, followed by Keith’s suicide attempt. Lance thought about that particular event a lot, even now that he was seated in a pool of water right next to the very person he brought back.

After that they made a truce and _finally_  gathered everything they needed for the cleansing bath. At least there was some progress made to ridding themselves of the curse.

Keith’s eyes moved to glance at his fellow King, violet eyes shining in the dark of the cave. He noted the way Lance had his head tilted upward, looking at the stone above. He was in deep thought and Keith could see that, looking away to indulge in his own thoughts. Eyes looking down at the now cooling water, meaning that it was time for them to get out of the bath soon and begin washing away the salt.

“I want to go outside and look at the moon.” Lance finally spoke, his own glowing eyes turning to meet Keith’s own, “We’ll both suffocate in here with all this dust around. Some fresh air will do us good.”

Keith found nothing wrong with this. The light of the moon made them both stronger, and it would be good to lay under it and rest. So he stood, waiting for Lance to move next to him, when the brunette did they stepped out into the moon. Keith grabbed his clothes on the way, heedless of their state as he dried his body with the much less important underlayer of clothing. He slipped his clothing back on as they walked onto the dying grass, Lance doing the same as he walked beside him.

The moon was half formed tonight, but the world with still illuminated by its light. Millions of stars dotted the sky, and if Keith squinted his eyes enough he could make out his father’s hounds in the sky, chasing wayward souls.

Lance hummed, “The night tastes wonderful.”

“The Hunt is strong.” Keith hummed next to him, a momentary peace reached as they stood under powers greater than even themselves. But Keith knew those hounds, named every one, and could spot his favorites among the stars, so he could only feel comfortable. He was far safer here than even in his own realm now.

“Oh, to ride with them.” Lance lamented, sighing mournfully, “Tonight is a good night too, mortal men grow foolish when the moon is half formed.”

“Next year mayhaps.” Keith hummed again, letting the peace wash over him. He wondered if Lance felt half as safe. He doubted it, the moon did much for their kind, but the hounds were for Keith and Keith alone as the son of their lord.

“Next year I shall hunt and capture enough souls to make up for my lack of participation this year.” Lance nodded, determined. He turned to face Keith then, “I’ll capture more than you ever could.”

“Do as you will.” Keith waved off the attempt at challenge, “But on nights such as these I have many things to occupy me.”

“Doubtful.” Lance muttered, eyeing him, “The fear of how I’ll defeat you seeps into your voice.”

No, it wasn’t that. It was the comfort of his mother and father both that made this night special. Samhain was the only night in the year that he could have both at once, and it always made him feel more light hearted. Yes, he hunted, but he hunted more kindly than any other time.

He would never tell this to Lance though, if only to save him the mockery. So instead he replied with something that was a purposeful half truth, in hopes of misleading the other, “Nights like these are more like a lover’s touch for me.”

Keith’s words took Lance by surprise, turning to look at his fellow Fae in confusion. “Of course they would be. You are a creep after all.” Honestly it shouldn’t have surprised Lance at this point. Instead he moved his eyes onto the beautiful sky above, saving himself from looking at Keith’s annoying face any more than he needs to, “I bet you go around stalking the one you’ll marry, since you are so devoted to them.”

Keith hummed in amusement, folding his arms while Lance seated himself on the ground, looking up at the stars. “It’s surprising how you can misinterpret even the simplest of things.” Keith decided to speak nothing but the truth, purposely misleading the other.

“I’m not misinterpreting anything.” Surprisingly Lance kept his voice calm, not as loud or energetic as it is usually known to be, “You said it yourself. You have lovers, yet you also have your eyes set on one person. It makes me think you either go stalking that one person or indulge yourself with the lovers you have. I bet you do it frequently.”

“An interesting theory.” Keith noted, standing silently as he watched the hounds up above with the stars. Coming out here was a good idea.

“I know it.” Lance decided to lay down, putting his hands behind his head as he looked up, feeling the moon give him strength, “I bet you keep all sorts of sexual fantasies to yourself and project them onto your lovers. As your father’s son, I think it’s likely.”

“Don’t insult my father.” Keith warned.

Lance threw him an uninterested look, unimpressed, “I could certainly use the presence of my lovers right now. They treat me right.” A part of him felt that he could use this to his advantage to tease the fellow Fae, “I’d never reveal who they are, not to someone like you.” He held himself from showing any signs of amusement at all.

“I spend countless nights in their hold, and they love it when I wrap my arms around them as well. One of them is a sea god, my favorite of them all. I love the way he leans his head beside mine, growling in the purest form of possessiveness. It turns me on.” His eyes drifted to look at Keith’s face, observing for any reaction at all. Although unfortunately it was hard for him to see due to the other standing up.

“I’m sure he’ll come looking for me once he learns of what happened.” He decided to probe further, “And once we rid ourselves of the curse, I’ll go back to him. He would be thrilled to mate with me, I’m sure.” Lance wasn’t sure if his taunts had any effect but he did continue proding, “I wonder if I should marry him.”

“I doubt he would marry one so low as us.” Keith waved, “It would hardly be an advantage for him, assuming this story is true.”

“I sense jealousy.” Lance prodded, looking for something in the other, “Poor Keith, he’ll be all alone while I marry a God.”

“I pity you.” Keith suddenly spoke, voice laden with _sympathy_  of all things.

“ _What_?” Lance demanded, suddenly enraged, “ _How dare you_?”

“Marriage is a game of advantage, it's the only reason any Fae do it.” Keith shrugged, “If you think a God would marry beneath them then you’re wrong. He would no more marry you than you would marry one of your subjects.”

“How dar-?” Lance tried, but he sputtered angrily, his words falling over himself.

“I do not know if your words are true, or if you made the whole story up simply in hopes of mocking me.” Keith spoke further, turning to face Lance with that _pity_ , “But all you seem is delusional to me.”

Lance sputtered angrily again, unable to form words.

“Maybe if you became a God he would.” Keith hummed, and it almost seemed sad, “Perhaps your father would pass his mantle onto you. Then he would marry you perhaps, for your lands, but then he would take more lovers, and you would take lovers, and then there would be no point at all.”

“Is this about you again?” Lance spat, “You and your father?”

“I know I’m odd.” Keith shook his head, “I’ve never hid it. I am not ashamed of it, and my father has never been ashamed.”

“Then why pity me?” Lance spat, “How? You’re the ones that are wrong.”

“Maybe it's because we’re so tied with death.” Keith mused, looking up into the sky like he was seeing something Lance couldn’t, “Maybe it's because we’re the only ones who feel that sting, that lingering cold, but it…”

Keith stops himself, shaking his head before looking back at Lance, “I wonder if we live too long, if it leaves us empty of satisfaction. Maybe that’s why the rest of you are like this.”

“What are you _talking_  about?” Lance hisses again, lost, “You’re the one that’s wrong.”

“I could never be satisfied with lovers.” Keith admits, like it’s an easy thing and not something so inherently wrong with him, “I can only be satisfied if one holds me here.”

“You’re...you’re…” Lance can’t find the words, he doesn’t even know what to say.

“I think I see it now Lance.” Keith says again, his eyes turned towards the stars like he’s finally found the answers he’s been searching for so long, “It's why I was never happy with my lovers, it's why I never felt good. It _is_  the death in me.”

Keith turns towards Lance now, and there is a blade in his hand again, much to the brunette’s horror, “I could never be satisfied with a marriage to another Fae, they would leave me for another. I’m too possessive, and I want to be possessed too. It’s because the death in me knows I could be taken away anytime.”

Lance stopped listening a while ago though, knowing what Keith planned to do. He gave a cry, throwing himself at the other, grabbing the pale wrists and yanking them away from Keith’s body. The other Fae yelps in surprise, struggling as his balance is lost. They end up on the ground then, a wriggling mass of limbs as Keith struggles against him, “Let go!”

“Never!” Lance hisses, “I’ll never let you go!”

“You will!” Keith struggles, knife still gripped firmly in hand. His skin is starting to boil now, a simmering heat sinking through, and Lance can hear the distant sounds of hounds cry out. He ignored it all though, determined to stop Keith before he tried to escape again. The noriette yelled through, loud and horrible, and the trees shook with it, the hollowed sound of death shrieking with the wind.

“You’re mine!” Lance screamed, forcing the knife out of the other’s grip, letting it hit the ground. Hounds still cried into the night, and the galloping of hooves sounded through the trees, and Lance wasn’t sure he was really hearing them or if this was Keith’s power allowing him to hear, “Your life is mine! I won’t let you take it from me!”

“You could never hold me Lance!” Keith yelled back, kicking him off and rolling for the knife, gripping the blade with a white knuckled hand, “Not for all your wealth and power!”

“Y-You!” Lance called upon his power, moving his hand to grab the blade out of Keith’s hold, struggling as they both fought for its possession. Dark clouds began forming above them in response to their fury, thunder creeping ever closer.

Keith hissed when Lance managed to get the blade out of his hand again, throwing himself onto the pale Fae. They both used their powers and at some point Keith kicked Lance away, causing the power of their curse to creep upon them, the beginnings of the incredible pain coming ever close.

“This is why I hate you Keith! This is _exactly_  why I _hate_  everything about you!” Lance yelled, eyes widening when he noticed Keith reach out for the fallen blade again. He decided to put distance between them, using the curse to his advantage. The only downfall it had was that it affected him as well, falling onto his knees as they both struggled to breathe.

“A-Ahhh! Gah!” Keith screamed in pain, the blade falling from his hand as he fought the pain that was coming from within himself. Lance screamed out as well, but despite the unbearable feeling of a knife cutting through his very soul, he glanced over at Keith, using his power to push himself closer.

Keith was taken by surprise when he suddenly fell onto the ground with a thud, Lance landing on top of him and pinning down his hands against the ground. They both took in heavy breaths of air, weak as they recovered from the effects of the curse.

“You’ll _listen_ to me.” Lance growled out, holding onto Keith’s wrists with an iron grip. “You’ll listen to me and you’ll stay like this until I’m done.”

Violet eyes looked up at him tiredly, most of Keith’s face covered by his long black bangs. He hissed, and as strength returned to him, he used his newfound power to grab onto Lance’s arms as well, gripping tightly. “You have nothing to say to me.” His voice was low, cutting through the air as he spoke, “There is no point in lovers, nor in marriages. It is all done to pass the time, nothing more. There is no poi-”

“Shut up!” Lance growled loudly, focusing on maintaining his hold on Keith, already feeling the other King’s strength returning, as well as his own. “This is why I find you so annoying! _This_  is why I hate everything about you! You’re so incredibly self-centred that it makes me sick to my stomach!”

“What do you know!” Keith hissed hatefully, “If you hate me so much, then you should be glad I’m doing this! You think you know me, but you don’t know me at all Lance. You don’t know _anything_.”

“I don’t care!” Lance fought as Keith tried to overpower him with his arms, focusing more of his magic into his own hands. “Think what you want, but in the end I don’t care!” Lance’s blue eyes narrowed, looking down at the other in annoyance but also a speck of something Keith had never seen before within those blue eyes. It was strange to see, especially in Lance’s own orbs.

“I know a Fae King that goes by the name ‘Keith’ and even though you two look similar, you’re not the same person. You may share his insecurities, but you’re only a shell of a person compared to what he is.” Lance hissed, eyes never leaving Keith’s own.

“Keith is a weirdo and an absolute idiot when it comes to it. However, he had drive and motivation, unlike you. You’re so lowly, so pitiful.” And this time it was Lance’s turn to pity the other, “The Keith I know likes to spend his time in solitude but he always had a purpose, he had a _drive_  that kept him moving forward. I saw it, and I admired it. I wanted to take it and claim it as my own.” His hold on Keith’s hands tightened, and even now as he tried to keep the other down, he never moved his eyes away from the vibrant violet colour he knew this fake shared with his Keith.

“Keith reminded me of the sea, of my home and my own realm. The sea is unforgiving, throwing challenges onto the sailors every single day, and it’s been doing that since the beginning of time! Yet as time moves on, the challenges keep on coming! Keith faced those challenges and beat them! He managed and continued doing so the next day, and then the day after as well!”

Lance paused here for a second, searching those violet eyes for any form of understanding, “Keith was troubled, I’m not going to lie. He seeked something more of life, something _more_  than life could offer him. He had everything he wanted, and yet he was never satisfied. I noticed it every time I would stumble upon him in the woods, sitting all lonesome by himself. I pitied him for it, yet I found it exciting that he seeked to grab onto something more, something unreachable to the rest of us.”

“The sea has many treasures within, but Keith sought a treasure that was well beyond anyone’s reach. He wanted something nobody could get, and I _wanted_  to see him get it. I _wanted_  to see him get the treasure because at the end, I would get himself myself. I would get everything he achieved and claim it as my own. It was thrilling.” Keith remained still as he listened, feeling a tear fall down onto his face. Lance sobbed but still looked down at the other hatefully.

“Keith continued spending his days taking on the challenges that were thrown at him but at the same time he wished to sail well beyond where any sailor could. You denied him that. Both you and the underworld.” Lance’s hold tightened once again.

“I don’t know of the underworld, I’ve never been there. Yet a part of Keith belonged to it and it made part of what he was.” The thunder roared loudly above them, rain slowly beginning to pour down.

“The king of the underworld is foolish and different from the rest of us. He is a fool, that is the truth.” Lance allowed for that to sink in, “Fools are fools, no matter where they go, yet my father always told me that it’s the fools who manage to conquer the seas and make them their own. They’re too foolish to care about the dangers lurking around, following their drive and passion to lead them where they want to go. They didn’t care what anyone thought of them! They continued to sail”

“Your father is admirable in that regard as he is a fool. He faces the same challenges all of us do, and yet he has a burning passion that keeps him moving forward. You may be your father’s child, but you’re nothing like him. I had to hold myself from laughing when you said you were similar because you’re not. The you right now isn’t. You’re a disappointment, and I hate you for it. I always hated this side of Keith. I hated the him that was so blind to see the obvious things around him.”

Lance sobbed, lowering himself further down towards the other, “I tried so hard to make you _see_  and you did respond but never in a way I wanted. It was annoying beyond belief and I hate your guts for it. I hate you so much, so, so much. You’re despicable.”

“You’re so annoying, you make me sick. The Keith I know was worth it, but you? You’re not worth my time. Someone who would decide to end their life only because of a stupid argument and because of jealousy isn’t someone I’m interested in. I wanted _Keith_  for who he was, and I still want to make him mine. He was everything I wanted.” The brunette looked to the side, spotting the blade that was laying on the ground. He let go of one of Keith’s hands, moving the blade towards himself.

Keith’s eyes widened at that, watching as the other moved the blade between them, “I’m sick of you and your petty suicide attempts. You’re not worth my time. That’s why I’ll end it here for us. I don’t want to go to the underworld, but if the Keith I know is no longer here, then there’s nothing left for me in a situation like this. This world no longer has that _flare_ I want.”

The blade shone as rain fell on them, and then there was blood as the blade threw blood from his skin, a shallow cut, barely breaking the skin, but Keith’s eyes widened in horror. The pale Fae screamed again, throwing himself at the brunette with force, “Stop!”

Lance landed on the ground with a grunt, the other King on top of him as pale fingers clawed at the hand clutched around the knife. The winds howled around them, cold and loud, the distant screams growing louder as Keith pried his fingers open. The night had become darker somehow, yet the moon shone brighter as white hounds danced through the sky, their attentions occasionally fixed on Keith. The overwhelming sounds of galloping hooves fill Lance’s ears, the cries of old Fae, old Gods, filled his ears. This… this was Keith, a taste of Keith’s power, of the underworld blood that took him from Lance. The brunette let out an enraged scream as he tried to push the other off, but the violet eyed monster refused to move.

“So it's only fine if it's you?” Lance spat, struggling between keeping the knife away from the pale figure, “It’s alright for you to snuff out that flame over jealousy, but I cannot when all purpose is gone?”

“This isn’t about jealousy.” Keith hissed, his lips barely an inch from Lance’s eyes, “This is about going home. Take all the lovers, real or imagined, you want Lance. I do not mind.”

“You _are_  home you fool.” Lance hissed right back, twisting his hand and flinging the knife away, he threw his arms around Keith’s torso then, rolling them as far away from it as he could. The cries of wolves filled Lance’s ears, along with sorrowful whispers of things long gone. The moon was high, and the second night of Samhain sung soulfully. Lance had always been warned that this night truly belonged to the dead, but he never realized how much of it was true until the pulse of their prince’s power rippled against him. He held Keith down, pinning the pale figure to the ground as Keith’s distress brought the attention of red-eyed hounds all around him. They were surrounded now, snarling teeth bared and red ears pulled back against their white heads as Arawan’s hounds circled the pair, ready to attack for their master’s son.

“Keith, call them off!” Lance demanded, turning his eyes on the pale figure, “Neither of us are dying tonight.”

“They’re here to take me _home_.” Keith squirmed, “Home, where I’ll be rested and satisfied and _whole_  at long last.”

“No.” Lance presses his body against the other, his hands unpinning the King and circling to twist his fingers in the inky black hair. Pale hand’s flew, clawing at Lance’s back, his nails raking down the thin robes. “You’re not going anywhere. You’re going to stay here, give me the real Keith back. The one I want. The one that belongs here.”

“He doesn’t belong here.” Keith struggles, his body straining, the skin burning, shifting, almost melting, “He belongs with the dead who love him.”

“The dead don’t deserve him.” Lance spats, refusing to let go, letting his own power leak and freeze the body beneath him in place, “The dead lied to him, he belongs here.”

“There’s nothing here to tie him to this world.” The voices of dead things hiss in his ear, body twisting against Lance’s, “There is no food or wine that could hold him here. No jewels you could give. No ruin you could curse or lover’s embrace you could promise. He’s too wild.”

Lance ignores the warnings and closes his mouth on Keith’s, capturing the other’s lips at long, long last. He tastes like warm things; apple cider and pumpkin spices. He feels the straining body under him wriggle more and the other King doesn't realize what happened at first, but then his body goes still as he’s pulled back into awareness. The voices of the dead die some, not all the way, but enough for Lance to hear the satisfying hum. The lips are warm and melt against him.

Then, at long last, Keith submits.

He reacts to the kiss, leaning in closer and moving in compliance with Lance. The tanned Fae hummed contently, his hold on Keith’s hair softening at the notion that his Keith was coming back. He trailed his hands slowly down Keith’s face, deepening the kiss as they opened their mouths.

“A-Ahh!” Lance let out a pained cry into the kiss once Keith retracted his claws from Lance’s skin on his back, blood appearing as soon as he pulled out. The tanned Fae paused in the kiss, willing his power to heal the wounds he sustained while Keith’s hands morphed and changed into their normal human looking hands. The claws were replaced by nails, the small hints of fur that had begun appearing now disappearing as well.

The red-eyed hounds around them snorted, returning back to where they came from while rain poured down over them all. Although, it didn’t take long for the rain to cease as well. The clouds were slowly beginning to clear now that the malicious signs of magical power were beginning to disappear, allowing for the moon to shine down on them once again.

Lance and Keith indulged in their kiss, eyes closed as they focused on one another and ignored their surroundings. Their kiss was deep now, tongues dancing around each other as they tasted each other fully.

Keith’s taste was warm; of apple cider and pumpkin spice.

Lance’s taste was colder; of fresh mints and green apples.

They didn’t know how much time passed but at some point they parted, remaining close as they did. Saliva connected their lips, blue eyes meeting violet for the nth time this night, however, out of all the other times they looked at each other, this was different. It felt different in many ways, but it was also relieving.

The dead didn’t get Keith, even during the Samhain, the time of the dead. Since Keith is their prince, it made sense that he’d feel a strong pull to go to the underworld. It explained why he tried to take his life twice now, for petty reasons to boot.

Lance would never forgive him for it.

No matter how much Keith thinks the underworld would be a paradise for him to live in, Lance was set on proving him wrong. He didn’t see the point of it. There was no reason in his opinion.

Cold winds blew against them, reminding them that, yes, this just happened. No matter how pure Lance’s intention of going outside was, he never expected for this to happen. If he knew, he would have suggested they stay in the cave and bathe some more.

It would have certainly helped them avoid all this trouble, but well… At least a few good things came out of it.

Lance let himself fall on top of Keith, sighing tirely as he felt the body under him. His Keith was alive, and that’s what mattered. “You’re the worst.” He muttered, cursing their luck for being unfortunate enough to be tied by a curse on the night of the dead. The only time when the curse would drive Keith to this level of madness, Lance included as well.

The tanned Fae moved his arms around the other, feeling the warmness that Keith’s body provided. He was warm, and it meant that he was alive.

Keith hummed, his body still slumped limply, breath shallow and even now. Lance placed his head against the barely moving chest, listening to the rush of blood underneath the skin to the rapid beat of the heart. The brunette indulged himself, letting himself enjoy the sounds of Keith’s living body.

He had to get Keith back inside, away from the moon and the hounds, hidden where the dead wouldn’t call him. Their shelter wasn’t the best, but it would have to do until Samhain passed, then Lance would take Keith back to one of their realms until their curse was broken.

Oh, Keith would protest, but things were different now, Keith had indulged him now, had given in at long last. Yes, it was in the throws of madness, but it was out in the open now. The pale Fae King had given in and shown that he wanted Lance as much as Lance wanted him. There was no more hiding it now.

Lance pulled himself up, still holding his not-yet lover in his arms. He stood, shifting Keith so the still dazed Fae rested comfortably in his arms, his head lolling back as his eyes blinked slowly, clarity returning to them slowly. The tanned King didn’t wait for the other’s senses to return. He moved, walking them into the cave and away from the dangerous wilds.

He felt the power the moon gave leave him as soon as the cave’s roof covered him, it was unfortunate, but better in the long run. The weaker Keith was for the rest of Samhain the better, maybe the call of the dead would be weaker then too, it would certainly be now that he was out of the wild.

Lance considered his options, his eyes flickering over to the beds before deciding against it. Things had changed now, and Lance didn’t have any more patience. Instead he made his way over towards the pool, laying Keith down beside the water before moving to ready another bath. He’d soak them for the rest of Samhain, every second of it, even if he had to tie Keith down to do so. It wouldn’t be good for his skin, but it was a sacrifice he would have to make if he wanted to keep Keith and get this curse over with.

He stuck his hand into the water, warming it, stirring more salt and herbs into the water.

“Lance.” Keith spoke, voice clear to tanned ears.

Lance turned to grab the other King, irritated to find that the pale Fae had pushed himself into a standing position. Where did he think he was going? Nowhere, that’s where.

“We’re soaking the rest of Samhain.” Lance stated firmly, standing as well.

Keith frowned, “Lance, that’s not-”

“I don’t care what you say.” Lance was having none of it right now, “I’m so incredibly angry about what happened, and I’m not risking it happening a third time.”

Keith frowned, remaining silent and undefiant for the first time since this whole situation had began, seeing sense in Lance’s words now that the madness had lessened, and perhaps knowing that he was the one truly wrong this time.

The noirette didn’t speak a word as he stripped and stepped into the pool again, his fingers trailing down Lance’s leg as he sank into the pool. Once Lance was satisfied he stripped down himself, joining the other King in the water.

“You should have told me.” Lance stated as soon as he was settled, as close to Keith as he could be without pressing against him.

Violent eyes glanced at him, a flicker of familiar defiance dancing through the orbs, “You would only have mocked me at best, or accused me of lying and started a brawl at worst.”

Lance scowled. He had to give Keith that one, loath as he was to admit it, that’s exactly what he would have thought at the time. Nevertheless, he was pleased to see the defiance returning to the other Fae. He moved closer, pressing himself against his soon-to-be lover. The other boy flinched, scowling, and tried to move away, “Absolutely not.”

“I know now.” Lance leaned in, voice sure, “You can deny it all you want, but that will only make the chase sweeter.”

He buried his nose against the other’s neck, his arms snaking around the other’s waist and pulled him closer. Now that he knew the other wanted him the appeal of Keith as a lover grew more than ever before. Vibrant Keith would never be satisfied, always defiant and reaching even now, when someone he wanted was pressed against him. Yes, Keith’s appeal only grew now that Lance knew that he’d caught Keith in his web at some point and the other Fae still hadn’t given in after this long. It would make the moment Lance wooed the pale Fae into his bed all the sweeter.

Maybe he would marry Keith instead. The thought brought a dark fascination to him. Keith had admitted to his devotion already, had been proud of it even. There was appeal in the idea of being the only one to have someone as wild as the pale King, to be the only one who could lay claim to him, it appealed to the naturally possessive nature within him. There’d be no competition of lovers there, Lance will have won past them all, and his prize would be the exclusive right to Keith’s body, the ability to say he was the _only one_  allowed to touch.

Yes, the madness brought about by Samhain would forever be a danger, but if he could have the true Keith the rest of the year then a few days irritation was a small price to pay in comparison.  

“As I recall, you said that nights like these were more for a lover’s touch than hunting.” Lance whispered sweetly against Keith’s neck, using his own words against him as he kept his arms around the other, “Thinking about it now, you were probably thinking of your parents, but that still doesn’t deny the fact that you tried to bait me.”

“I wasn’t. It was you who interpreted it this way.” Keith looked down at him, that tint of defiance still there. It was fine, Lance liked it this way. It made the game that much more interesting.

“I know the truth, and that’s all that matters.” There was confidence in his voice because ultimately, Keith had shown him how he felt with his actions rather than words. He couldn’t escape it now. “It baffles me that you’d try to deny my touch, even though I know everything now. It makes me think that you’re touch-starved. I know that spending time with your lovers doesn’t give you any satisfaction, but it still makes me wonder when was the last you spent time with one.”

A tanned hand moved to touch at one of the pale cheeks, “Even if it doesn’t give you the satisfaction you want, it should quell some of the needs you may have.” He slid his hand to cup the skin there, leaning his head closer as he whispered, “Let me hold you. I know you want me to.”

Keith looked away, his body still as he indulged himself in his thoughts, “Even if we were lovers you’d leave me. There is no point.”

Lance hummed, gently tilting Keith’s head to the side so that their eyes met, “There exists a god who is faithful to the one he married. He’d been faithful for a long time now and he managed to sway your mother and keep her by his side. You are your father’s and mother’s son, you should know about this more than I.”

“You have such sweet words.” Keith admitted, eyes blinking softly, “They’re tempting, but I wonder how long it would take before I could keep you if I indulged this.”

Lance hums, not sure how to answer, he knows that the game he’s playing is dangerous now. He finally has Keith’s attention now, and he’s trapped with the terrifying challenge of finally indulging in his desires. It's a deadly game, one with a multitude of possibilities. He wonders, for a moment, if Keith _could_  keep him, if Keith was just as dangerous as his father proved to be to his mother, dragging a good and decent Fae into the mad possessiveness of a faithful marriage. He wonders if he could resist that danger, and for how long.

Lance leans forward, excited to find out, “That depends on how addicting you are. I wonder if you’re so good that you can make me forget I even have other lovers, or why I ever did.”

If there’s one thing and one thing only that Lance has learned about Keith, it's that the pale King loves a challenge. He must have said the right words here, because violet eyes glitter beautifully and Keith breathes out a wonderful sound.

Lance grins, pulling the pale body closer, pressing it flush against his own. Keith’s face is buried in his neck now, a contented sigh leaving his lips as Lance presses his own behind a pointed ear. Hands run over a tanned chest, working upwards and over the shoulders as Keith searched for the best place to rest them.

Defiant even after he'd given in, Keith decides to work his hands upward, his fingers trailing through brown locks, pressing his own kisses against Lance’s neck, humming in satisfaction.

“Don’t you mark me.” Lance warns.

So, of course, Keith does just that and bites down on his neck, sucking at the skin. The greedy, greedy, bastard.

Lance decides to let it go for now, indulging in the way Keith’s hands feel against his skin. A mischievous and knowing smirk spread throughout his lips, content with the way Keith moved, acting upon his own suppressed desires. “Act upon your needs.” He whispered, his own lips leaning against the lower skin just below the pale ear. “Let your desires take over. I’ll fulfil them all.”

He felt his excitement rise when Keith let out another pleased hum, moving his hand lower towards his torso. Even if Keith didn’t say it, it was clear as day that the pale Fae hadn’t been with a lover for a long time. It made Lance wonder if he may have given up on love long ago, corrupting thoughts of taking his life lingering even before the night of Samhain.

No, that wouldn’t be right. He doubts Keith would have kept falling for his taunts before they were both cursed, playing into his games every single time Lance would challenge him. The flare of interest was there, which led him to believe that Keith simply didn’t have the urge to indulge himself with his lovers.

The poor Fae was touch-starved and Lance would use this to his advantage. He loved the notion that Keith may have been too focused on him to focus on any other Fae that might have been around. He feels the thrill run down to his very bones, knowing that his attempts may have been working without him even knowing.

Keith had eyes for nobody else, for he was his. The whole of him belonged to Lance, and this proved it. The sheer thrill of this prompted the tanned Fae to touch more, to cure his lover of his touch-starved body.

He moved his lips, placing his own mark on Keith’s skin as he sucked at it. The content hum Keith let out was all he needed as he moved his hands further down, the both of them indulging in themselves and forgetting about everything around them.

The night was still young, the moon shining brightly as hounds lingered among the stars. The forest was lit up by the moonlight and yet it was peacefully quiet, a small stream of water running through the rocks as it travelled down the forest.

As it was the night of the dead, souls of the dead were drawn back to the underworld, heeding its call. It was the time time of the year where other Fae would watch as the hounds danced throughout the sky, feeding upon their prey.

Most Fae Kings, however, found themselves back in their realms, relishing in the presence of their human thralls as well as their ability to control anything around them. A King’s realm is a place were they thrived, such as being the case with Pidge who decided to decorate her realm with different kinds of plants and other flora she found intriguing. Sending her thralls to gather berries, cherries, and other fruit she would let grow on them.

Each Fae’s realm was different, which would explain how Hunk’s own realm was anything but similar to Pidge’s own. While Pidge had plants, Hunk had rocks and mountains decorating his realm. Many of his mountains had snow on top, some were completely bare while others were volcanoes as well. Hunk never willed them to erupt though, serving as mere decoration to his home world.

Lance and Keith’s realms were no different, one made up of the wildest seas while other was mostly made up of fiery volcanoes and lava. However, even though these realms had their kings, they weren’t currently present within them. Their human thralls awaited their return while under the influence of the curse, back inside a neutral cave where none of them rules.

And even as the sun slowly began appearing beyond the horizon, replacing the bright shining moon, neither Keith or Lance would see it. Not within their dark cave where the notion of time was forgotten. It wasn’t that the cave would allow them to completely forget, too invested in their current activities to care about anything else.

The two Fae Kings were still within the pool, water still warm with the usage of their magic. Lance was hovering above Keith as they sat in the water, hands holding onto the rock behind as they both took in deep breaths. Exhaustion wasn’t something Fae experienced as heavily as mortals, but still felt the need to stop when enough was enough.

“You made me miss my beauty sleep.” Lance breathed out, leaning his upper body against Keith’s own, “I didn’t get to change forms tonight. I always do when a new day rises.”

Keith lets out a satisfied noise, like he’s pleased that he had the power to make Lance forget something that was so inherent to the King. His body is still moving, still greedy, continuing to keep pace as he rocks against Lance’s own, bouncing up and down with water rippling around him and lovely noises sounding from his panting lips. His face is flushed beautifully pink and alive.

“I told you I was showing you the future.” Lance leans forward to whisper against his lover’s ear, causing the other to groan against him and speed up his rhythm. Lance doesn’t know how he’s even moving at all, still rocking even as the tanned King can only hold on and try to keep from collapsing over his insatiable lover.

Keith finally finishes himself off with one last cry, dragging one last moment of relief from Lance as well before the two Kings are slumped limbless against the edge of the pool, tanned hands barely holding to the edges. Keith hadn’t been lying when he said he couldn’t be satisfied, even now, exhausted as he was, his greedy mouth was quivering as he reached up to try and suck at the tanned neck, as if he hadn’t already left a long line of marks there.

“You’re so greedy.” Lance teases, his own mouth panting. His left his own collection or marks on Keith’s skin, proof he’d conquered the fiery soul, vivid and striking against the pale skin, in places that Keith couldn’t hide, obvious for the world to see. Lance pressed a kiss against one, willing it to darken so it would stay longer and ward off others from his lover.

Keith pulls him closer, nuzzling against his neck, “Shut up.”

“You weren’t lying.” Lance mocks, letting his body relax in his lover’s arms, “I’ll have to keep working to satisfy you.”

“That wasn’t what I meant.” Keith groans, eyes closing as his lips free Lance’s skin, his forehead resting against a single, broad, shoulder.

Lance laughs, relishing his victory as Keith’s body finally gives out. Its clear to him that Keith was blissed and satisfied at long last, and Lance took pride in the fact that he was the one who brought the King here.

The water had long gone cold around them, the distant sound of hounds lessening as the night had passed. Lance hums, taking satisfaction of his own, holding the body of his long coveted prize. Keith’s spent and exhausted body is the greatest trophy of all, proof over a long game finely played, and Lance smirks as he realizes that this was merely the first of many, many, nights to come.

“I should punish you for making me wait so long.” Lance mocks, petting Keith’s hair, “And for distracting me like that, but you were so good darling, I may yet come back to you.”

Keith give a laugh of his own, “I doubt you could win another night with me.”

Lance feels his blood boil with the challenge, he pulls away just enough to take Keith’s cheeks in his hands again, forcing sparkling violet to look him in the eyes, “Oh, darling, this is only the first of many nights. I’ll have you in every realm and kingdom if I must.”

Keith smirks, cocky and wonderfully infuriating, “Such promises you make.”

“You know it’s true.” Lance leans his forehead against Keith’s, his eyes trained on violet. “You know I’m the only one who can tame your wildness. Just give in Keith, give me your name.”

“Give me yours.” Keith challenges back, and it's the most beautiful thing he’s ever heard, the greatest proof of his victory.

“Funny you should ask for my name.” Lance teases, a tint of amusement within his eyes, “You never asked for it before, and that makes me think you enjoyed this much more than you’re letting on.” He stuck out his tongue, licking Keith’s lips in a teasing manner, “I wonder which one of us will give in first.”

Keith hums, taking the bait as he leaned forward, capturing Lance’s lips into another kiss. “After all this time you still didn’t manage to get my name. I’d say the chances that you’ll give me yours are much higher.”

“So confident.” Lance hums into the kiss, his tongue probing inside of Keith’s mouth before parting, “I already have you twirled around my little finger. It’s only a matter of time before you break and give me your name.” He purrs leaning closer with curved lips, “Now that you’ve experienced the pleasures of this body, you seek to bind it to yourself. You seeking my name only proves it. You want to do this again.”

“I’ve experiences greater pleasures with one of my other lovers.” Keith bit back, his violet eyes flaring in delight, “You’ll have to do much more to please me, let alone win me for another night.”

“Hmmm…” The tanned Fae noticed the challenge within those eyes, knowing fully well that Keith was bluffing. He’s already tangled within his web, unable to escape now that they did this. Keith wouldn’t be able to escape, for more reasons than one. “Says the one who let out such wonderful cries.” Lance probed, “I wonder whom you found more pleasurable since it seems that you weren’t with a lover for a long time.”

“My past lovers are none of your business, and so are any of my past affairs.” Keith let himself relax against Lance’s hand, glaring at the other in a challenge, “You were the one who said that I should act upon my needs and I did. If anything, it’s your own fault that I followed your advice.”

Okay, Lance would give him that because he enjoyed every second of what they did. He wouldn’t take anything back even if he went back in time. The sight of greedy Keith turned him on, as well as the way he always wanted more and more. Although Lance couldn’t deny that by the end of it he was sucked out of most his strength.

“You will be the one to give me your name first.” Lance stated in a challenge, blue eyes lighting up as he willed his fingers to turn into vines, moving them around Keith’s neck as he leaned his head closer. He was tired and exhausted but he could never give up an opportunity to one-up the other.

“ _Mine_.” His voice was low and possessive as he growled, moving his vines around Keith’s neck but not intending to strangle him. No, this was a warning that soon, Keith’s name will be his.

Keith groaned, neck presenting itself as he arched back, hair hanging low as he presented the sweet trophies along his neck for Lance’s viewing. The brunette cursed, knowing he was too spent for such a tempting sight.

“Even when threatened you want me.” Lance growled, knowing the trap that lay before him, “You can’t get enough. You’re so greedy that you’ll even take my punishments.”

“So says the one demanding ownership.” Keith leaned back, tightening the vines around his throat just so, one of his long legs moving out of the water and coming to rest on Lance’s shoulder, shortly followed by the other. Keith moved back further, back arching as his head came to rest in the water.

Lance cursed, vines retreating before they could _really_  strangle the other, “You vixen.”

Keith laughed.

Lance forced his hands on Keith’s hips, pulling the tease back up, causing water to fling everywhere as the laughing King was forced to meet Lance’s eyes again. Lance shut him up with a kiss, silencing the other as tongues danced once again, neither giving an inch despite their exhaustion. The sensible thing to to would be to rest, but Keith…

“You’re trying to exhaust me.” Lance grumbled as he pulled away from Keith’s lips, “You’re trying to lure me into sleep, you tease. What plans you must have to think of doing such a thing.”

“Mayhaps you’re simply not as satisfying as you think.” Keith smirks, smug, and Lance almost rises to the challenge again, but he’s stopped by the sight of the tired body pinned beneath him.

“Hmmm, I think I am.” Lance leans in, lips quirking, “I think you simply wanted me to fall into exhaustion for the sake of your pride.”

Keith doesn’t lose the smug smile, his hands simply reach up, his legs leaving the shoulders he seemed to love so much so he could let long fingers trail over them and up the back of his neck. He twisted his fingers in the brunette hair, pulling Lance’s face into his own pale neck this time, petting the tanned King gently, “Shhh, rest.”

“You first.” Lance challenged, hating how his body relaxed into Keith’s hold. The other King humed, the sound vibrating against the tanned Fae pleasantly, long fingers scratching just behind his ears. His lover’s arms were warm, very warm, and there wasn’t much else he could do now anyway, so he let himself enjoy the sensation. Keith rested his chin on top of his head, cheek pressed against his head, singing a nonsense tune under his breath.

Blue eyes risked a glance upward, watching violet blinking closed, and followed their lead into sleep.

* * *

 Lance had found himself in the calmest of dreams, the quiet waves within his consciousness washing ashore, bringing with them memories that he held within. He lay in the sand, moving his hand within it as more waves washed ashore, splashing onto him as he lay.

The days he spent with his father on the sea were one of the best times of his life, and he’ll always remember the times he sailed with his old man when he was younger. He was innocent back then, as any young Fae would be. Although do not take this lightly, a Fae was still a Fae, no matter the age.

Lance had simply been more free at the time, unbound by formalities of being a King and enjoying himself as he spent his time however he wished. He remembered the feeling of the wind against his skin on his father’s chariot as they sailed through the seas, leaning down to look at the water below.

His father, Manannán Mac Lir, is the most prominent sea deity, with his sea-borne chariot and horses, travelling the seas with the exact knowledge of where to go. He was a free spirited god, and still is as he sails the realms of his seas.

“Father! Look!” A younger Lance pointed at a few dolphins as they emerged from under the water, travelling in a pod.

“You got a sharp eye there Lance.” His father said proudly, steering the chariot to follow the dolphins, “You should go out for a swim! Show them who the future ruler of the sea is!”

Younger Lance beamed excitedly, “I will!” He focused his power on melding his legs into a tail, his hands forming into fists as he concentrated. He huffed in frustration when he couldn’t, yelping when his father patted him on the back, throwing him into the water.

“I believe in you son!” His father assured from on top of the chariot, waving as Lance fell into the sea.

At the time Lance had cursed his father for doing such a thing, finding himself submerged under the water as the dolphins swam beside him, the pod ignoring him as they focused on their swim. The Fae watched in awe, willing himself to create a tail before sneezing, fins appearing at the sides of his head, his feet turning into fins.

It wasn’t a tail but at least it gave him the ability to swim. The notion that he’d finally managed to manifest something that would help him move excited him, grinning as he followed the pod of dolphins.

He managed to catch up to them, spotting a baby dolphin as it swam. It let out a noise, flapping its fins before he reached out to pet it. The baby dolphin leaned into his touch, Lance beaming as it did.

Then, however, there was a huge splash, and Lance found himself in his father’s arms as he laughed, successfully managing to sneak up on his son in surprise. “Dad!” Lance grumbled as his father ruffled his hair, his cheeks red in embarrassment.

The dolphins all laughed at him, and so did his father, “You have to be aware within the vast oceans son! Even though it holds beauty within, it also holds unexpected dangers as well.”

“You’re embarrassing me! Y-You old man!” Lance folded his arms, cheeks still red as his father laughed.

“There’s nothing more fulfilling for a father other than spending time with his precious son! Let’s make you a seaweed crown as a sign of your first transformation. Then as you improve, we’ll give you another, better crown.” His father suggested, corals of different kinds lighting up around them. The seaweed danced along with the current, many different kinds of sea creatures swimming by, even seahorses coming out to see what the commotion was.

The tanned Fae stuck out his tongue, “But I don’t like seaweed.” He complained, looking up at his father, “I’d much rather have a necklace like you.” He pointed at the said item on his father’s chest, admiring the way the blue stone shone in the sea.

“Perhaps one day younging! For now you’ll have to settle with seaweed.” But his father wasn’t convinced, and as Lance frowned, he spotted some mer hiding behind a few corals. He looked at them in awe, pointing at them.

“Father look! The mer!” He pulled on his father’s arm to show him, the god turning to the said direction with a smile.

“They must have heard your song Lance. They came in swimming to hear it.” The Sea God teased, Lance looking up at him with a frown on his face.

“But I didn’t sing yet!” He knew his father was teasing him, but thinking back at it now, it was his way of showing affection.

“Then you better not leave them waiting any longer. Show them what your mother taught you.” His father patted his back confidently, gently pushing him forward towards the mer who watched curiously. Many of them giggled, smiling as they waited for what Lance would do.

Lance looked back at his father with a smile on his face, the said god sending him a thumbs up before the young Fae turned back to face the mer. He closed his eyes, focusing his power on the one thing he could control at the time.

He was about to open his lips and indulge in the memory of how he sang to the mer, but then as he drifted deeper and deeper into his memories, he realised that it wasn’t him who was pulling on them. He quickly pushed them back within himself, his eyes shooting open and grabbing onto Keith’s wrist, blue eyes meeting violet.

“I knew you had ulterior motives.” The tanned King grumbled while Keith smirked, amused and yet caught red handed. “You couldn’t stand it that I pulled on your memories, so you had to return the favour. You’re so unoriginal.”

“But you were so happy to peer into my memories of my father, I thought I could do the same.” Keith’s smirk remained in place, absolutely shameless.

“Mayhaps I should lure you back into sleep and peer into your memories then.” Lance was tempted, his hands tightening around Keith’s wrist, “I should punish you for this.”

Keith hummed, not threatened at all, the smirk still on his face, “How easily your pride is bruised.”

“Says the man who cannot stand that I peered into his memories.” Lance breathed against the shell of Keith’s ear, “You couldn’t stand not having as much of me as I had of you, admit it.”

“So you say.” Keith wriggled from under Lance, making to move away, as if the curse wouldn’t stop him from escaping. Nevertheless, instinct took hold of Lance and he lunged after the other Fae, determined to catch him.

It was their game, Lance realized as Keith tried to exit the pool, Lance being forced to stand up and wrap his arms around the other’s waist to keep him from escaping. One of them would run and the other would have to catch them. It’s what they’ve always been doing, now that he thinks about it, when one wanted attention they’d lay down the challenge and start running.

Well, if Keith wanted his attention then Lance had no choice but to indulge him. He smirked, forcing his arms to lock as Keith kicked the air, and tried to pry the tanned arms from his waist.

“Trying to escape when we can’t leave each other.” Lance clicked his tongue, forcing the pale Fae back into the cool pool. He’d have to warm the water, but he had to see to his lover first, “And you call me a fool.”

“You are a fool.” Keith shot back, wriggling in Lance’s hold, “A beautiful fool who thinks he can take whatever he wants without repercussion.”

Lance kisses the noriette behind the ear, trailing kisses down the slender neck, Keith’s back pressed to his chest. The pale Fae sighed, craning his neck to give Lance easier access, his hands resting gently over Lance’s arms, fingers curling over the tanned King’s own.

“I could give you this every night if you gave me your name.” Lance tempts, pressing a rough kiss against one of his marks.

“You couldn’t catch me for another night, much less every night.” Keith presses, but even as he says it his head rests against Lance. The tanned King smirks, sinking them back down in the water, making sure to rest Keith in his lap as proof of who’d caught who in this little game.

“Since you’re the one being difficult you can warm the water.” Lance bites the shell of Keith’s ear, making the other yelp.

“And since _you_  are being an ass you can wait.” Keith huffs, eyes flickering towards the caves entrance, where the morning light had risen.

Lance hummed as his blue eyes flickered over the cave’s entrance, his eyes catching the distant sight of trees and sunlight. His arms tightened around Keith’s waist at the reminder of the danger that lay for them outside. It was the last day of Samhain, and if Lance could keep him through the rest of tonight then the dead wouldn’t be able to take him.

“One wonders if you slept at all in the morning light.” Lance pulls Keith’s attention away from the sunlight, “You should be the one to rest now.”

“A trap indeed.” Keith turned back towards him, his attention solely on Lance now, “Trying to find more memories after I evened the odds, and you called me unoriginal.”

“You are unoriginal. Face it.” Lance poked at the other’s cheek with his finger, a grin on his face, “Unlike you, I already have a unique idea in mind.”

Keith quirked a brow, cautious eyes moving onto blue ones, “Indulge me.”

“Gladly. But first you have to warm the water.” He laid his terms, Keith rolling his eyes before lowering his hands and submerging them into the water. He used his power to stir the water around them, cleaning it while adding new salt and herbs into it. The water warmed, and with it came a content hum out of both of them. Cold water suits the sea, not a bath.

Keith looked up at the other, waiting to hear whatever Lance had to say. The brunette grinned, moving his hand to trail it up from Keith’s chest onto his neck, “I say we have some fun and venture out of the cave. Not in our physical bodies, but rather in mind.”

His fellow King threw him a cautious glare, folding his arms as he thought about what Lance said. “You’re planning something.”

“I’m really not. The cave is suffocating and I need a change of scenery. Meanwhile your suicidal ass can’t venture outside, otherwise you’ll try to kill yourself again. I don’t need another scene.” As long as they get through today, they should be fine in that department. Then he can rub it in Keith’s face what an ass he is without worrying about him committing suicide again. “You pulled on my memories, but now I’m inviting you in willingly. If I were you, I’d take it. You have nothing to lose.”

Lance’s lips curved, taking Keith’s hand in his, “And if you agree, I’ll show you what you missed out on in my memories.”

“I’m not going to your realm, or any territory you control.” Keith warned, eyeing the other warily. It was true that a change of scenery would do them good, but it was still hard for him to see if this was a trap or not.

“We’re not going there. We’ll go to a place deep within my memory.” Lance leaned in closer, “Nothing can happen to you that you wouldn’t be aware of.”

Keith considered the pros and cons of the proposal, getting an idea of what Lance was suggesting. It was surprising since Lance was inviting him into his memories of his own accord. There were no dangers that came with it, and it did give Keith the advantage to learn more about the other. Perhaps even find things he could use against his fellow King. “Alright.”

Lance’s smirk widened, “Perfect.” He placed both of his hands on Keith’s shoulders, submerging them down into the pool. They seated themselves, letting their bodies settle before their minds would venture out into the world of dreams and memories.

“Take the open invite darling.” Lance teased, leaning his forehead against Keith’s before closing his eyes. Keith did the same, the both of them pulled into Lance’s memories.

When Keith’s eyes opened once again, he found himself under the water, Lance beside him with a grin on his face. The tanned Fae closed his eyes as his body turned, changing himself into a mer once again before re-opening his eyes and looking right at Keith. “Turn into a mer. It’ll be easier for you.”

And Keith did will himself to create gills, allowing him to breathe under the water. Then he changed the rest of his body, donning a red tail. Lance swam up to him, turning to look to their right, “That is a mer underwater village I wanted to show you. It’s just as I remember it from my memories.”

“We are in your memories.” Keith pointed out while the other rolled his eyes.

“How sharp of you Keith. Anyway! Let’s go! I’m sure you’ve never been under the water like this so it’ll be way better than being stuck in a lousy cave.” Lance reached out to take his hand, pulling him along as they swam to the mer village in front of them.

The thing about memories were that they weren’t tangible things. Nothing was real here, even the things Lance remembered. Keith needed to move through the sea as a mer did, because Lance vividly remembered the feel of water around him, but the stalls of the mer village were only half filled, and only the buildings Lance remembered were formed. Mer were milling about, working behind stalls and calling out in nonsense words, but very few of them had faces, their features lacking in Lance’s memory.

Keith passed through a mer woman, a reminder she wasn’t real, but he let Lance lead him anyway. For the most part the tanned King remembered much of the village, with colorful coils lining the building and all sorts of fish swimming through the rocky outcrops of land. Most of the light came from bioluminescent plants littering the buildings, the village too far underwater for the sun to reach.

Lance lead him around a small hill someone had carved a house out of, a merman with a scribbled out face and green tail yelling out at them for coming too close, proof of a younger Lance’s mischief. Keith fixated his attention on the house a bit, wondering that the mer was bold enough to yell at a sea god’s son, when Lance made another sharp turn.

They arrived at a stage of a sorts, a play of sorts happening, some of the lines weren’t clear, having faded from Lance’s memory, but it seemed to be one of the stronger parts of Lance’s memory.

Keith could make out Lance and his father hiding in the crowd, obviously disguised in the corner. The older Lance he was with pulled him close, just far enough to observe the memory, and settled them on a giant piece of coral that was carefully grown into a seat.

“Watch.” Lance grinned at him, settling Keith down onto the coral gently before taking a seat of his own, his arms finding themselves around a tanned waist as the other King settled beside him.

So watch Keith did, wonder at what Lance so desperately wished to show him. He couldn’t follow the play at first, but after a while it became more and more clear what was going on, his eyes widening as the familiar story played out before him.

“You slime!” Keith hissed, trying to push Lance off him as the other laughed, the brunette wrapping his arms around pale shoulders to keep from being brushed off, “That’s the story of my father and Pwyll!”

Lance laughed, a hearty laugh that used all the breath in his lungs, “As you know, your father and mine are good friends, so of course he shared the story with my father. It’s quite the popular comedy among my father’s subjects!”

“May the blood of goats be spilled on you doorstep.” Keith grumbled, “I cannot believe your people turned it into a play!”

“Everyone knows the story anyway, might as well.” Lance laughed more, “Your face is gorgeous darling!”

“My mother nearly skinned my father when she found out!” Keith made a distressed noise, “The man she was trying to seduce for a _year_  wasn’t even my father! She thought he lost interest!”

“Yes, that’s the part of the story not everyone knows.” Lance smirks, looking Keith dead in the eye, “So of course your father told mine how she hung him by his ankles over a pit of foxes for a week. You do know my father had to untangle yours, of course, your father must have told you that.”

Mac Lir’s infamous boastful laugh played out over the audience as that very scene played out before them, “That’s close to how it happened boys!”

“My father had to pull yours out of just as much nonsense.” Keith reminded, pushing at Lance again, “Don’t think stories weren’t shared there, I’ll make a play of those as well.”

Lance didn’t seem threatened at all, instead making a joyful laugh as he buried his face in Keith’s shoulder, trying to hide his amusement, “From what I understand Pwyll’s descendants still hold your father’s favor for this incident.”

Keith crossed his arms, pouting, “At least I now know how that story spread so wide.”

“You’re just salty because we had the idea to make a play out of it. Neither you nor your people thought of it.” Lance teased, enjoying the way Keith’s brows were furrowed and his arms crossed in annoyance.

“I’m definitely doing them now. _Oh_  you have no idea what kind of stories I’m about to tell.” Keith turned to the other, a mischievous smirk on his face.

Lance hummed, contently swinging his tail left and right, “How unoriginal of you. Now we can see which one of us has unique ideas and which one is a copycat. Even if you try to make a musical out of it, it won’t work. It’ll still count as idea theft.”

“I’ll do what I want.” Keith settled on that, trying to ignore the other as he focused on the play again. How typical of Lance that the comedy points of the play were so clearly embedded into his memory. Out of everything, he was sure to remember those.

Once the play came to an end, the crowd cheered and clapped, all the while Keith sat in discontent. He’ll have his vengeance, Lance can count on it. Although as he sat, he felt Lance pull on his hand, turning to look at him, “Come on. The sea has a lot more to offer.”

Keith rolled his eyes, sitting up and following as they both swam. They were following Lance’s younger self as well as his father as they made their way out of the theatre.

“I’ll go practice now dad! See you later!” The younger Lance smiled widely, moving to swim away enthusiastically while his father watched him go.

“Practice hard now Lance! We’ll swoop your mother from under her feet!” The god of the seas laughed wholeheartedly while the older Lance pulled on Keith’s hand, following his younger self. They swam through the village, many of the buildings that were on this path were mostly complete, meaning Lance remembered them clearly.

“I used to pass by here all the time. Keep up mullet.” He pulled as he picked up on speed, Keith tried to keep up, even if he didn’t don a tail as frequently as someone like Lance did. They followed younger Lance out of the village, out where there were many corals along with a sand covered ground.

Eventually they made it to a shipwreck, an old wooden human ship that must have sunk here long ago. Keith watched as the younger Lance swam inside, the two of them following him. They made their way inside, only to see a collection of many different things Lance had found within the sea. Many of them were things one would usually find at sea such as items that human sailors lost to the ocean, then there were a couple of magical items there as well.

“How do you like my collection?” Lance asked, turning to face the other, “I bet you weren’t as adventurous as I was when _you_  were a kid.”

“I wasn’t collecting silly things.” Keith wasn’t impressed, “You’ll never need any of these items ever.” And quite frankly he didn’t know why Lance was showing him this.

Lance hummed, looking at Keith with a smirk on his face, “Maybe there are things here you’re overlooking. I’m giving you a peek inside my memories. I’m not going to point out the obvious hint I’m giving you.”

Keith raised a brow at that, looking around the shipwreck. He didn’t see anything of value so he had no idea what Lance might be talking about. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder, the other King holding his hand against his lips, “Pfft! You fell for it. I just wanted you to see my cool collection.”

Again, Keith was unimpressed. “So you are wasting my time.”

“Not really. It’s just a hint of what I want to show you outside of my memories. Look.” He pointed at his younger self looking at a mirror he found within the ocean. He had a huge smile on his face, trying hard to gather his energy but failing at most of his attempts.

Keith tried to understand what the other was doing but then Lance covered his eyes with his hands, preventing him from seeing anything. “And that’s it.” The feeling of water around him disappeared, feeling Lance reject him out of his memories at this point.

When he opened his eyes once again, he found himself back in the bath with Lance next to him. They were back where they were before they left, “No need to thank me. You’re welcome.”

“I do not understand.” Keith frowned, throwing a look at the brunette over his shoulder, “I barely caught a glimpse of what you wanted to show me.”

“You’ll learn soon enough.” Lance buried his face in Keith’s hair, “Once you think of what you saw more.”

“So this was all a play to frustrate me.” Keith slapped Lance’s naked thigh, “How typical of you.”

“You’ll be thanking me once you think it through.” Lance laughed, his hands squeezing Keith’s hips, “And how sweet it will feel to have you thank me, it will almost be as satisfying as your name.”

“You’ll never have my name.” Keith moved, turning to face Lance, his hand moving up to cup the brunette’s cheek, “But when I take yours perhaps I’ll take that voice and finally shut your teasing mouth.”

“Bold words.” Lance smirked, “But you’ll never take my name darling. You can’t take my voice from me.”

As if to prove him wrong, Keith kissed him again, long and passionate, with his tongue working inside to battle Lance’s own. The tanned Fae moaned, just to keep Keith from having the satisfaction, but the pale King won this one and he knew it.

Oh, but what a way to lose.

Keith pulled away, hands on Lance’s chest again as he pushed, another smirk working its way onto those pinking lips.

“The way you’re acting, I think I may very well have you tonight as well.” Lance stated confidently, rolling his hips to rub his naked body against Keith’s.

“May not, your mouth could certainly lose me.” Keith mocked.

“Or yours could lose me.” Lance mocked right back.

“I don’t think so.” Keith claimed, his hands running down Lance’s skin, sneaking under the still warm water, “I think I already have you.”

“You’re too bold.” Lance huffs, “And your greediness knows no end. You act as if we hadn’t spent ourselves well through the night.”

Keith’s hand, much to Lance’s surprise, didn’t brush against his naked and waiting cock, but reached past it. Fingers brushed past his hip, reaching out into open water until Lance felt them brush against his free hand, the long digits wrapping around his own.

The noriette settled against him, humming as he rested his head against Lance’s chest, a contented sigh leaving him, “True, but we wouldn’t want to dirty the water again so soon after cleaning it.”

Lance blinked down at his lover, thrown for a moment, but a smirk spread across his face as he wrapped a free arm around a thin, pale, shoulder, “No, I suppose not.”

Lance felt irritation creep upon him, knowing full well that Keith didn’t have it in him _not_  to frustrate Lance in such a way, especially now after Lance had shown him his memories like that. Just when he felt he had an advantage over the other, Keith had to come in and ruin it.

Well… Keith’s attempt at teasing was low, and couldn’t hold up to Lance’s own masterpiece. He must be frustrated by not seeing anything in his memories, but then again, was there anything at all? Lance snickered to himself, amused by the idea that Keith might really try to think about what he saw, trying to think hard on it.

Hopefully he does. He deserved it, the little shit.

Although it was funny for Keith to say that he wanted to steal his voice. Sure if he wanted Lance to shut up, the voice would be an obvious choice. But for him? His voice was one of his greatest treasures. Unbeknown to Keith of course, much like to anyone who isn’t a part of his realm or his father’s people.

Perhaps it would be a good idea for him to show Keith. This way the ravenette will see what he tried to steal and that he’ll never be able to get his hands on it. He was spot on for wanting to steal Lance’s voice, but he’d never get it, just like his name.

The brunette looked out at the cave’s entrance, noting that it was already sunset. Good, the time of the dead would soon end, and Keith’s suicide attempts would vanish along with them. Then Lance will be free to insult the other as much as he wants and get his ass back for trying to commit suicide twice since they were bound together by the curse.

“I wonder why you want to steal my voice.” Lance spoke, glancing down at the other, “There are many other desirable qualities I have. No, actually, everything about me is.”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” Keith hummed to himself, “I have no obligation to tell you.”

“Alright.” Lance played along, “You won’t be stealing my voice, and I know it. Otherwise my father would hunt you down in search for it, as would I. There would be no escape.” Lance teased, raising up his finger to lean it against Keith’s nose, “And I’m about to show you what you’ll never get your hands on.”

“You’re so confident.” Keith’s smirk was still on his face, “You can never know what the future brings.” Although he was curious, “I take it you’ll take me back within your memories again.”

“Nope.” The brunette shook his head, “I’ll show you the wonders of my voice, for everyone knows I’m a great singer.” He hummed, singing out a melody he knew. Keith listened, and while the sound of Lance’s voice was pleasing, it wasn’t anything special. Or perhaps to Keith it wasn’t.

“Wow… I’m impressed.” Keith folded his arms, watching as Lance ceased his singing and took his hand.

“The real magic happens under the water where I thrive.” And as he said it, Lance pushed Keith under, the both of them submerged as they looked into each other’s eyes. Keith rolled his eyes while Lance smirked, opening his lips and closing his eyes to sing.

When Lance began to sing this time, it was completely different. The melody of his voice changed within water, and while it did sound like his usual voice, it was also different in a way that it was much more pleasant to listen to. It was almost hypnotic in its melody, charming its audience to listen for hours.

Keith watched and listened in surprise as Lance sang under the water, enjoying himself. Then at some point his singing slowly ceased, his eyes opening as he surfaced, Keith following after him and pushing himself above the water.

“You liked it.” Lance mused, eyeing the other with knowing eyes, “You didn’t expect it.” He let himself lean against the rock, still smug, “And this is why you’ll never steal my voice. It must be killing you knowing you’ll never get your hands on it but that is simply one of the struggles of life. Sometimes what we want isn’t necessarily what we get.”

“And my name is one of those things for you.” Keith replied, pushing his wet locks behind his ear. He hummed, looking contemplative, before smirking again, “Beside, I don’t think I want your voice anymore.”

Alright, now Lance was insulted. He glared at his rotten lover, sizing himself up so that he was towering over the tease, “And why not?”

“I would have to hide any time I wanted to command it to sing.” Keith turned away, smiling smugly as he brushed the water from his hair, “And I think I’ve proven that I have easier ways of shutting your mouth.”

Well, now he was being both complimenting and insulting. Lance didn’t know whether to be pleased with the knowledge that Keith had liked his voice enough to forego stealing it, or if he should be insulted that Keith had used his compliment to lead straight back to an insult _and_  teased him again.

Keith, apparently, wasn’t done. Violet eyes flickered over Lance’s face, the vixen turning back to smile at him smugly, “Besides, it will hardly matter once I have your name.”

“We both know that isn’t happening.” Lance growled, his hands coming to wrap around Keith’s shoulder, ice overtaking them, spreading from his fingertips over Keith’s skin, “You’re mine, and when I have your name I’ll take you to my realm and show everyone who you belong to.”

Keith shivered.

Lance felt a surge of hot excitement at the idea, “I’ll take you straight to my throne and summon all my subjects and take you in front of everyone.”

“A humiliation no doubt.” Keith spoke, shivering, “You want everyone to know what my pleasured face looks like no doubt.”

The white-hot wave of possessiveness surprised even Lance when he suddenly decided that the idea wasn’t pleasing _at all_. Damn Keith, taking even this satisfaction from him.

Fire rolled over Keith’s shoulder, and Lance had to snatch his hands away as the ice he’d left behind melted away. The pale Fae ducked into the water, steam rising and the pool becoming much warmer as the fire died away.

“I think it would be more likely that I learn your name.” Keith taunted, raising out of the water just enough to tease Lance with what hid beneath, “I think I’d make you a figure in my realm. Perhaps I could make you sing at my wedding when I marry.”

That did it, that broke Lance, he seized Keith’s hips and slung him over, pinning the wanton tease to the edge of the pool, forcing him on his back. The tease was grinning, his legs moving around tanned hips as he met Lance’s glare head on.

“I won’t stand there and watch you take another lover right in front of me.” Lance growled, rolling his hips, watching Keith’s body as it moved in rhythm with his own, the pale King’s face twisting with pleasure as Lance met his challenge, “I won’t sit there on your pretty wedding day and listen to another man take you. I certainly won’t sing for that man.”

“So jealous for a man that claimed I wasn’t good enough to be his lover just yesterday.” Keith taunted between pants, trying to withhold a moan, “It makes me wonder what you would do if I decided to visit another lover tomorrow.”

This fool clearly wanted to be killed. Well, Lance wasn’t having any of it, “You’ll be too satisfied to even consider another lover tomorrow.”

It was a promise he had every intention of keeping, and his rage was a very good motivator throughout the night. Though that was replaced more and more by pleasure and competitiveness as the night went on, neither King willing to give an inch as their lovemaking stretched through the hours. And, privately, in thoughts neither would share, fondness became another motivator.

For Keith, in particular, whose heart was weak to such things, he became increasingly fond of Lance’s flush and exhausted face, and the way his head bobbed in time with his thrusts, and when his eyes would peer open just enough to peek through his lashes. As much as Keith would deny it verbally, Lance was a very beautiful lover, one he was in danger of becoming very fond of very quickly. He’d have to watch this one.

Keith didn’t usually take the same lover twice, it was certainly rare, not that he was overly fond of nights alone either. He actually preferred lovers he could have more than once, but it was so rare to find someone that could meet his greed. He wasn’t lying when he said it was rare for him to find satisfaction with his lovers, and it was even rarer for ones who could last the night to keep his interest after they were done.

Lance kept up though, enough that they moved well into the night for the second time, the sun’s morning rays only just beginning to shine through when Keith finally finishes himself off from where he’d flipped himself on top of Lance.

He slumps against the exhausted Lance, sucking in a breath, listening to Lance’s own intakes of breath as he recovered from Keith’s attentions. They would need to work through a few more nights together, but once they had gotten used to each other, Keith didn’t doubt that their lovemaking could become legendary.

As Keith relaxed against the body beneath him, he felt Lance’s hand gently move away the locks of hair that were on his forehead, pulling the hair up before leaning in to kiss his forehead. The act made Keith’s eyes move to the other, eyes meeting blue as Lance let go of his hair. He moved his hand though the rest of the black locks before letting it fall into the water in exhaustion.

Lance closed his eyes, contently laying against the rock as Keith leaned in closer, placing a kiss on the tanned neck he was dangerously close to becoming fond of. He trailed his hand downward into the water, reaching for Lance’s fingers and intertwining them with his own.

The other let out a sigh as they lay in place, content and spent. The cave was quiet as they lay, just as it always was. And as Keith moved to place another kiss on the side of Lance’s jaw, the brunette finally spoke up, “It’s over.”

Keith hummed, “I bet you would like it to last longer.”

“Not that you idiot.” Lance’s lips slowly curved into a mischievous grin, “Samhain ended, and that means that I can finally free myself of your suicidal ass. It means that I can insult you all I want with the knowledge that your petty self won’t be so hurt as to take your own life for it.”

“I can always take my life, even without the Samhain.” Keith warned, hovering above the other, “Just because the Samhain ended it doesn’t mean anything.”

“Pfft! It means a ton now that I know you won’t kill yourself over petty things. My Keith is much stronger than that.” Lance cooed, sending a challenging look, “I still can’t believe you tried to commit suicide over jealousy, something you provoked yourself.”

“I was far from jealous.” Keith’s eyebrows furrowed, “If anything, I got sick of your constant presence being by my side.”

“Say whatever you want darling. I know the truth.” And that’s all that mattered to him. Lance stretched his arms out of the water, itching to go outside and finally lay under the sun’s warm light. A cave like this was truly befitting for someone like Keith.

“You can’t even threaten me with other lovers anymore. They wouldn’t satisfy you, I know it.” Lance teased, placing his hand on top of Keith’s thigh as he began trailing his fingers upward, “We’ve only spent two nights together but I’m already confident in the way your body craves my touch. You may try going to another lover, and heck, I’ll let you. Only to see your pretty face come back to me, begging to take you back.”

He trailed his hand upward, gripping onto Keith’s hips before massaging his fingers into the bone, “It would be worth the sacrifice, but knowing you’d come back to me gives me the greatest of pleasures. Perhaps I should be the one to find myself another lover. I wonder how you’d like it if these hands were on another.”

He slid his hands up above the hips, “Perhaps you’d be generous to share me with another. Then if I find someone who can satisfy me more than you, you wouldn’t be as appealing.” The way Keith’s brows furrowed told Lance that his taunts were working, “Now with the Samhain over, I have the leisure of doing anything I want."

“I’m sure your lovemaking would be very enjoyable when I can’t leave your side more than a few inches.” Keith scolded, moving to try and stand, though he had some difficulties since Lance tightened around his hips. But Keith just wriggled and worked his way upwards, “Mayhaps I’ll take the same lover if they can satisfy you so.”

Lance leaned up, scowling once again, “Once again you lack originality. Taking the same lover is simply insulting.”

“It's so rare to find someone who can match me.” Keith hummed, moving to step onto the shore, Lance’s hands trailing down the back of his legs as he did. He kneeled on the rock, wringing the water out of his hair as he continued to speak, “If you can find someone who satisfies you more than me that means they may very well be able to keep up with me. I wouldn’t waste such an opportunity.”

“You little thief.” Lance follows him out of the pool, letting the water drip from him as he reached for his mouthy lover, “You desire my body so much that you would be contented with my seconds.”

“I have no such strong desire for you.” Keith shot back, washing the water from his skin and reaching for his clothing, “It's more likely you’re worried that I would be so good I’d take him from you.”

“Assuming it isn’t a woman.” Lance smirked, “Maybe that lover will be a woman who can take me far better than you.”

Keith’s face twisted, looking somewhat disgusted by the idea, “If you prefer women that is your business. How disappointing though.”

“Your oddness never ends.” Lance laughs as he slips on his clothing, “It’s so odd that you prefer one over another. How strange.”

“So you say.” Keith sniffs, his clothes wrapping around his body now as he stood. He placed his crown on his head again, his hair drying beneath smokeless flames that rolled around his body. When the flames died Keith looked every bit like a King again, standing graceful and full of life, like he hadn’t just spent two days in a pool hidden beneath a cave’s surface, hiding from the call of the dead that coveted his attention. The only proof of how he’d spent his days were the marks Lance had decorated his neck with, something the tanned Fae took satisfaction in. He turned to face Lance, smirking, “Besides, I’m confident that you’ll be the one coming crawling back to me.”

“What bold words.” Lance steps into place beside him, donning his own clothes and jewels now, “How cocky of you. It makes one wonder why you’d think such a thing.”

Keith gives the most smug smile Lance has ever seen on the other’s face, “You’ve forgotten to change form for the second day in a row.”

It was then and only then Lance realized that Keith was right. His hand shot up, fingers coming to touch his own cheeks as he realized that he stood in his most basic form. Keith continued to smirk before turning, “I think I would like to walk outside now, it’s been a few days.”

“Ancients! What have I done!?” Lance cursed, looking up to spot Keith taking a few steps towards the entrance. He followed, all the while thinking of possible forms he could change into. “You sly fox! You’re the most despicable being to ever walk the Earth!” He cursed at the other and yet it still wasn’t enough to get the grin off Keith’s face.

“A mer? No, I already did that. Goblin? No, nope! Too ugly! Ugh!” Lance indulged in his own thoughts, cursing while they made their way out. Once they reached the end of the cave, they walked out into the opening, the blue skies clear as they stood and the winds blew against them gently.

It was refreshing, especially after spending two days in a dark cave, doing nothing but soaking and indulging themselves for the most of it. For once, Keith was glad to see the sun, taking in a deep breath of the fresh air.

“We should decide on our next course of action.” Keith spoke, turning to the other who was still in distress. Lance pulled on his hair, thinking of the many different forms he could change into.

“Gods… Even being outside doesn’t help! I can’t believe you did this to me! You heathen!” Keith just had to take the satisfaction of everything he was looking forward to. If Lance could, he could curse him with the most brutal of geas he could!

“Indulge in your nonsense later.” Keith dismissed him, “We need to figure out what we can do from here. For one, I’m getting bored of the cave.”

“You’re bored!? You’re the one who suggested it!” Lance frowned, sending a hateful glare towards the said rock, “Forget the cave! I need to transform! Right now!”

“Do whatever you want Lance, but we need to decide where to go from here.” Keith turned, leaning his hand against the chin. They’ll need to continue soaking, which meant they needed to make another bath wherever they went.

“Wait.” Lance stiffened, looking between himself and Keith. It made Keith turn to him again, watching as Lance took a careful step away. His eyes widened in surprise when the brunette stepped a bit further, not sensing any pain. Lance beamed in excitement, however, as he was about to step more than two feet away, they both felt the lingering pain of their curse creep on them. It made the brunette stop in his venture, but even though the curse was still there, they now had more distance between them. “It’s working!”

“Looks like the bathing really is working.” And that was good to know. They’ll have to continue bathing in order to break the curse, but at least now they knew that it had _some_  effect on them.

“I’ll be rid of you soon enough.” Lance mused, turning to look at the blue skies, “I’ll be free to fly high and above, leaving you in the dust.”

“Whatever you say Lance.” Keith rolled his eyes, indulging himself in his thoughts of where they could go next. However, while Keith did that, Lance got an idea of what he could turn into. His lips curved, calling upon his power to transform himself. He grew in size, so much so that it was hard for Keith not to notice.

The pale Fae turned, looking up as Lance turned himself into a blue dragon. The beast breathed, opening its jaws before looking down at Keith with its ocean blue eyes, “You’re a little peanut compared to me now. I’m tempted to eat you, but that would go against what I did during the Samhain so I won’t.” Lance’s voice spoke to him through his mind, as how all dragons spoke, “You’re in luck.”

The dragon stretched out its wings, its long neck raised as he looked at the sky. He moved his new long tail, enjoying the feeling of power and majesticness the new appearance gave him. No matter what Keith would say, he’ll stay like this for the rest of the day.

“...You’ve just given me a fantastic idea.” Keith muttered, staring at Lance with a hand pressed close to his cheek. His eyes took a dazed look as they roamed over the massive body, “I’ve heard dragons have two cocks…”

“Gods! You are insatiable!” Lance spoke, turning his massive face towards the Fae, “A dragon would crush you!”

“Not if I turned into a dragon.” Keith spoke, eyes glazed over as he lost himself imagining it, “I bet they have enough stamina to outlast me.”

“Doubtless even dragons could sustain you.” Lance concluded, deciding he no longer wanted to think of such things, “We should do as you said and decide where to go from here.”

Keith’s eyes remained clouded and dazed as he nodded, “Mmmhmm.”

Lance laid his head down, resting his muzzle so that he was level with Keith, breathing hot air against the now smaller Fae. Keith only seemed delighted by the attention, infuriatingly happy with Lance’s new form. Lance decided to see how far he could go while Keith was stuck in an apparent state of euphoria, “It would be best if we moved to my realm.”

“No.” Keith stated even as he eyed Lance’s scales.

Well, it was worth a try. At least he had Keith’s attention now; he’d have to file away the knowledge of Keith’s apparent newly discovered dragon kink for later. If he played his cards right he could use this to have Keith turn into a mer again without alerting the other to exactly how much Lance _wanted_ /him to take that form.

“We should head to a realm of a King with no part in either our conflict or Oberon and Titania’s.” Keith mused, “If we play to their pride then they should help us freely.”

Lance rolled the idea over in his head a bit, trying to decide if such a thing was a good idea or not. It would certainly make breaking the curse faster, but it also had its own drawbacks. Lance would admit that he wasn’t the most patient King in the realms, and taking the time to verbally fence an agreement wasn’t appealing. Especially since, much as he wanted to be free of this curse, his motivation had dropped somewhat over the last two days.

Still, the lovemaking would be more fun once they were forced to chase each other again.

Lance felt a rumble through the forest, the flapping of a million wings filling his ears, a fog spreading through him as raw power washed over him.

Keith’s face paled as he turned to face the sky, a familiar power washing over him. He knew this sound, this power, so familiar to him it might as well have been his own. Black wings flapped as a seemingly small and innocent raven flew overhead, circling their heads for a moment before descending from the sky. Lance tried to snap at it instinctively, but the raven was quick and agile, flapping past the dragon and landing on the forest floor.

The raven changed then, the feather molting away as a woman stood, tall and strong as she spread her arms out wide and walked towards the noriette Fae, “There you are.”

“Mother…” Keith spoke, eyes wide as she wrapped her arms around him, “What…?”

“Dagda.” She spit resentfully, “Only _just_ told me that my only son wasn’t spending Samhain in his realm. The moment I heard I needed to make sure you were still alive.”

The woman’s hands landed on her waist, throwing a resentful look around the area, her eyes landing on Lance’s giant form for a moment before flickering back towards her son, more specifically his marked neck. She scolded deeply, disapproval clear on her face, “What were you thinking? You know how Samhain affects you. Why didn’t you do this in your realm?”

The Morrigan turned on her heel, facing Lance now with a critical eye, “He couldn’t have been a good enough lay to do something so foolish.”

“Hey! I’m a great catch!” Lance grumbled, lowering his muzzle to look down at the two Fae, “He was blessed with the opportunity to spend time with me. He enjoyed every minute of it, I can guarantee that.”

Keith on the other hand found himself genuinely conflicted, wanting to deny it but at the same time finding a dragon talking about him this way hard to resist. Although soon he was snapped out of his thoughts when his mother turned back to him, slapping his cheek with force. It took him completely by surprise, holding onto the abused skin, “Why did you do that!?”

He was slapped once again, flinching in pain. “That is no way to talk to your mother.” Krolia lowered her voice as she spoke, “I’m already disappointed enough that you’d find yourself in such a predicament.”

Keith straightened up, meeting his mother’s eyes, “If I saw when the curse was being cast, I would have prevented it. It’s because of Lance that I didn’t notice Oberon and Titania weave the curse.”

“How pitiful of you Keith. I knew we were stuck like this because of your carelessness.” Lance took the opportunity to scold the ravenette, sending him a mischievous look as he stretched his neck tall, judging them both.

“Like you weren’t at fault.” Keith bit back, turning to face his mother again, “I’ve managed to make it though Samhain. I’m safe now mother.”

“I can see that.” Krolia sighed, folding her arms, “And yet you’re still under a curse. I pray that by the end of all this, you learn a valuable lesson. I will not have my own flesh and blood degrade himself like this. You will stand proud and rule over the lands, just like your father.”

Lance held in a chuckle, swaying his tail side to side in amusement, “And yet Keith seems to be more interested in his lovers than anything else. I wonder if it’s the result of him being raised this way or if it’s simply his own drive that made him like this.”

“Silence son of Mac Lir. I know that you are just as guilty as he is.” Krolia’s eyes were dangerously narrowed, staring up at the dragon before looking back at her son. Keith flinched, intimidated every time his mother would look at him this way. “I’m disappointed Keith. I expect that from now on you’ll work on breaking the curse, all the while maintaining the grace of a king. My son is to be feared, not laughed at.”

“Nobody is laughing at me.” Keith bit back.

“Many are.” But Krolia bit back twice as much, “Word of your curse has already spread. You are lucky your father is still unaware otherwise he would already be here, breaking it for you. As your mother, I would be deeply disappointed if such a thing happened. You were cursed on your own and thus you have to break the curse on your own.”

“We have been working on it.” Keith promised, hand leaving his cheek, “We’ve been cleansing it off of us.”

“Then why isn’t it broken by now?” Krolia demanded, “You should have been able to break it as soon as it was cast on you.”

“It was cast by a married couple, a King and Queen, on the first night of Samhain.” Keith informed, “It’s a powerful spell cast by two of my equals.”

“That is no excuse.” Krolia crossed her arms, a hard look on her face, “If you had returned to your realm you could have easily broken it.”

“Lance refused to enter my realm.” Keith explained, his eyes flickering over the dragon for a moment, “I could not.”

“Then you should have forced him.” Krolia crossed her arms, the disapproval and disappointment shining clear on her face, “If you are ever going to take your father’s place as the Arawan someday then you’re going to need to be stronger than this.”

Keith looked distinctly uncomfortable, “I don’t think father…”

“Your father is a good man.” Krolia cut him off, “Too good not to want to pass on his crown. It may take a hundred years, or even ten thousand, but one day he will pass on his crown to you. You’re a fool if you think otherwise.”

Keith bit the inside of his cheek, “Mother…”

“You could have died.” Krolia’s angry facade broke at last, her voice wavering the smallest bit at the end, “You _know_  what Samhain does to you. You /know/ a curse would have only made it worse, but instead of returning to your realm where you would have been safe you stayed here, in mortal lands, where the dead have the strongest calls.”

“Mother...I…” Keith tried again, but Krolia wasn’t having it. She cut him off with an angry hiss, “If I had to hear that my only child was locked away in his father’s lands for however long it took for him to pass on the crown…”

“Mother, I’m fine.” Keith tried to reassure, moving to wrap his arms around the woman, “I made it through Samhain, I’m fine.”

“If this ever happens again I’m sending your cousin Acxa to drag you back to our cave.” Krolia hissed, wrapping her arms around her son, “I don’t care what Lir’s son wants, you will return to the cave and I will seal you inside. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes mother.” Keith soothed the woman, his arms still wrapped around her in a gentle hold, “It won’t happen again.”

“Good.” Krolia nodded, pulling away, “If anything close _ever_  happens again then I will place a geas over _both_  of you.”

Then Krolia rounded on Lance, her face twisted into a snarl, “And you! I don’t care what you want, if it nears Samhain then my son either needs to be in his realm or in lands where he could resist such things. If he isn’t I’ll be sure to hunt _you_  down, involved or not, don’t think your father can stop me! Mac Lir tried and failed before.”

With that Krolia was gone, a whirl of feathers all that was left of her as she likely left to destroy her enemies in order to calm herself. Keith knew she was done with him, that she would be back once she was calmer and less angry, but still… seeing his mother like that was sobering. The Morrigan were known for their strength and power, the three of them having near single handedly stopped the war…

“Don’t mind her.” Keith turned to face Lance, “She was extremely upset and clearly hadn’t calmed herself before coming here. She didn’t mean any insult.”

The dragon eyed him with judging eyes, his neck stretched upward, “I bet she didn’t. You drive everyone to madness and this is proof.” Lance snorted, “Only proves what I’ve been saying for years.”

“Just blame it on me.” Keith shot back, “As if you aren’t involved in any of this as much as I am. Actually, you’re even more at fault than I am.”

“Yeah, right.” Lance kept his head high, “I don’t see my mother coming here to scold me about any of this. She believes in my power, unlike your mother who is clearly disappointed in you. You were roasted, face it.”

Keith pinched the bridge of his nose, willing himself to calm. It was strange that whenever he wanted to calm himself Shiro came to mind. How had he come to attribute the Fae to calm that quickly? No, wait, that should be obvious.

“We need to stay focused.” Keith moved his hands away, leaning them against his hips, “We need to venture out and find a place we can reside in for the time being.”

“I’m not staying in another cave.” Lance huffed, “We should head out to another Fae King’s realm.” But then an idea came to mind, “We should visit Hunk! I bet he’d welcome us.”

Keith hummed in thought, thinking it over, “Pidge would be a better choice.” He looked up at the other, “She would have the herbs we need and maybe she would know of a faster way to cleanse ourselves. She’d be of bigger help.”

“Oh no… Nope! I’m not going into Pidge’s realm.” Lance let out a puff of smoke, narrowing his eyes, “That gremlin will use any chance she has to get at me. One time she even spread rumours that I started courting her! _Her_!” Lance let more smoke come out, puffing as smoke was coming out of his mouth.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that you’re scared of her.” Keith teased in amusement.

“Scared of Pidge!? Never! If anything I will cast my fury upon her.” Lance moved his muzzle, laying down on the ground and extending his talon so that Keith could climb up. “We’re going to Pidge’s realm then. Get on.”

Oh… How easy it is to persuade the other into doing what he wants. Keith grins, using his power to fly up and onto Lance’s back before settling down. He hummed upon touch, tracing his hand among the hard blue scales.

“I’m relieved your mother managed to rid you of some of your greed. At least now I’m content enough to let you ride me.” He would have had second thoughts about it if Keith kept talking about playing with a dragon.

Ugh… The indecency.

“It doesn’t mean I don’t find your scales just as-” Keith didn’t get to finish his sentence when Lance suddenly flapped his wings, taking to the skies. He moved in the air swiftly, gliding along with the wind. The gentle air felt relieving on Keith’s skin, the world under them becoming smaller as they flew higher and higher, then coming to a sudden glide downward.

Lance grinned to himself as he flew, purposely trying to fly quickly so that Keith had a hard time holding onto him. He didn’t want him to fall, no, but he still didn’t want to make it easy for him. Although when he saw a rocky edge with a waterfall beside it, he flew towards it, settling on top of the rock for a minute.

“I think Pidge’s realm is close by.” The dragon spoke, unwilling to admit that he forgot which way to go.

“We enter her’s through an Ash tree.” Keith informed, his hands gripping the scales of the beast, as they descended a bit, eyes keen on the treelines.

“She’s mad to use an Ash, those things are dangerous for us.” Lance complained.

Keith wasn’t in the mood to comment, the air soured a bit after the run in with his mother. Normally, his mother was a source of warmth and comfort for him, but now he couldn’t help but focus on the sheer humiliation and shame he felt from her words. She was right, he should just force Lance into his realm. The air around them favored him, and if he was sensible he wouldn’t be playing around like he was now.

Lance was in the perfect position for him to force his hand too. The tanned King spending most of his power maintaining this form and carrying them through the sky, with the lack of food and sleep he’d be in a perfect position for Keith to take and trap in his realm.

But…

Keith was tired too. Not physically, but he was far more emotionally spent. Lance was brutal in his teasing, and combined with the mental strain of Samhain, Kolivan’s abandonment, and his mother’s harsh disapproval, his will was spent. It was far from normal for Keith to just give in and let Lance do as he pleased, but the strain was enough to cause his will to care for the words of other Fae to disappear.

Not that he would tell Lance that.

“I see it.” Keith commented as he spotted the twisted and gnarled Ash tree, “Pidge’s realm can be entered by crawling under the roots.”

Lance made a huffing noise, descending from the sky with his massive wings, landing with a loud thud that had the trees around him swishing in the breeze. Keith slipped off of his back, keeping his hand on those wonderful scales as he inspected the area.

Pidge had a simple but deadly entrance to her realm. Instead of the mushroom ring that most Fae had, the Queen decided she needed extra protection and settled the entrance beneath a hill that a giant Ash grew on. There was a burrow underneath the hill, the Ash’s roots twisted around it and hanging dangerously all throughout, in order to enter her realm someone had to crawl through the burrow and make it past all the roots.

It wouldn’t be a problem if Ash wood wasn’t known for burning Fae horribly.

“I visit Pidge all the time.” Keith informed Lance, moving forward to get closer to the hill, his hand trailing along Lance’s body as he moved forward, “I’ve learned the best way to make it through. It’ll be easiest if we turn into snakes.”

Lance seemed reluctant.

“I know, but Pidge made sure it was the only way, she had extra traps set up.” Keith informed.

Pidge’s realm was home to flora and foliage of the rarest sorts. With flowers that Keith had never seen anywhere else. Some that hummed softly, singing long forgotten words, and others that flew gently in the night. Pidge’s realm was truly magical and otherworldly, the fog of magic rolling over it in a beautiful serenade of colors. A forest so beautiful and terrible that no one could challenge it but her.

She truly was the Queen of the Forests, no matter how little she seemed to fit the description at first glance.

“I can’t believe you’re asking me to change into something so unsightly. I could easily crush a snake in this form.” Snakes were long and thin… and they reminded him of an octopus's tentacles. He shivered just thinking about it.

“We have no other choice.” Keith’s voice was firm, “It’s either this or going back to the cave. Clearly you don’t like the cave so there’s little room to argue.”

Lance hissed, hating the idea of going back into the cave. In the prospect of never seeing it again, he willed himself to transform back into his usual form. He opened his eyes, body once again resembling that of a human, “There has to be another way other than turning into snakes.”

“None. You could try, but this way you’re more likely to evade the danger of being burned.” Keith looked down at the small entrance, sighing, “We’re going.”

Lance eyed the entrance as well, cursing the notion that he was forced into doing this. Ugh… He’ll have his vengeance on both Keith and Pidge after this. “Fine. I’ll follow you then.”

Keith didn’t waste any more time, willing himself to transform into a red snake. Lance followed his example, taking shape of a similar blue snake. They both slid into the opening, evading the Ash wood as they went.

Pidge made sure to create quite a maze so even though it should be easy for them to slide through, it wasn’t as easy as it looked. Lance wasn’t used to changing into a snake so it was a bit harder for him to get the hang of his new form but he managed somehow.

Once the mushroom ring was in sight, they both slid towards it, aiming to enter the realm. They were almost there when the end of Lance’s tail managed to brush against a branch of the Ash wood, hissing in pain. Luckily he managed to merely graze it, but it still had an effect on him.

The mushroom ring allowed them entrance, and soon, the two snakes found themselves surrounded in beautiful greenery. There were trees of many different sizes surrounding them, harbouring many different kind of berries and cherries around. Vines were hanging around as well, decorating the place beautifully.

If they didn’t pass the mushroom ring, one would think that they weren’t in a Fae’s realm at all. The skies were blue and clear, resembling the real world exactly. That is apart from the vast greenery that was within.

The two Fae changed shape, transforming back into their most frequently used forms. Lance hissed as he changed back, holding onto his bare leg that had a burn on the side. “Curse you Pidge.” He hissed lowly, “Only you’d set up a maze like that.”

Keith eyes the other, focusing on the burn, “You should have followed me instead of trying to stay to the side.”

“Shut up.” The brunette hissed, “Pidge better have herbs to heal this. As a matter of fact if she doesn’t have anything to help us, or refuses to help us, then I’m leaving.”

“Here.” Keith moved closer, reaching out a hand. Lance hissed, trying to shuffle away, but Keith was in no mood to play right now and forced his hand over the wound, using a ripple of magic to heal the burn.

“Pidge should have been the one to heal that.” Lance grumbles, crossing his arms, “She was the one to cause it.”

“We’re in her realm, where she is most powerful.” Keith spoke, eyes flickering over the foggy forest, “It wouldn’t do good to challenge her here. She’ll trap you.”

Lance frowned, knowing Keith was right, but unwilling to say so. He moved, running his hand over the now smooth and burn free skin. It was… kind… of Keith to expend the energy to heal the wound.

Keith stood, holding out his hand for Lance to take, “The pain should be over now.”

“It is.” Lance agreed, ignoring Keith’s outstretched hand and standing up, “We should find the Queen now.”

“She won’t be on her throne.” Keith informed, staring out into the thick forests, “She’s often in a lab, building strange things. Magitech she calls it.”

“She’s as odd as you.” Lance huffs.

“Watch yourself, least you end up trapped here forever.” Keith warned, his hand coming to rest on Lance’s cheek, “I'd hate to have to fight such a good friend for you.”

The thought that Keith would go to war with Pidge, perhaps his most firm and strong friend and ally, did pleasant things to Lance. He smirked, leaning in to Keith, “Your desire for me burns brighter than I thought.”

“Not so much.” Keith responded, brushing off Lance’s flirtation, “I simply claimed you first. I’d hate to have my pride bruised by losing you to my own ally.”

Keith took a few steps towards a series of long trees that had treehouses, grown into their branches, the roots forming bridges as he lead Lance down it, “Pidge’s labs are this way. Keep up, there are a lot of vicious sprites about. She does love her traps.”

“Of course she does.” Lance kept close to Keith, looking around as they walked down the path. Keith seemed to know where to go which made Lance wonder just how often he visits Pidge in her realm. He seemed practiced enough to pass through her entrance unscratched so he guessed that he visited her _a lot_.

It would make sense if he does. The two of them always retreat into their own little corner during any type of gathering, chatting amongst themselves and judging others around them. They loved to gossip amongst each other, and Lance could tell just by looking at their judging faces from the distance every time.

He was unfortunate enough to find himself in her realm now, which he now _deeply_  regrets. Pidge has it in for him, and while she is successful in taunting others, she didn’t manage to get to him yet. She bothered him a couple of times…but he’d never admit to that. If anyone could evade most of her taunts then it was Keith. It was most likely why she deemed Keith interesting enough to be her friend like this.

They’re both unsocial and like to retreat back into their own realms very quickly. It was something he hated about the two of them, so boring and unwilling to join the fun. Luckily he manages to get Keith to join him most of the time, provoking him until he comes running to him. But Pidge? She’d stay rooted in a tree even if one of her human slaves was being threatened.

She is stubborn.

And loves mischief much more than a normal Fae should.

In other words, Pidge is mad. Now that Lance thinks about it, she must be the reason Keith is mad as well. Her madness must be contagious. It would explain why Keith never makes any sense or how he finds dragons attractive…ugh… Definitely Pidge’s fault. He should consider separating the two for Keith’s own wellbeing.

As they walked down the path, Lance noticed that some of the vines began moving, hovering above the ground and pointing at them. The tanned Fae yelped, continuing in his walk as the vines continued pointing at them. Once they passed, Lance let himself relax again.

“Don’t tell me her lab is somewhere far deep within the forest. Ancients! What if there are those man eating plants around? They’ll eat us!” He shivered, eyeing their surroundings warily.

“We’ll be fine.” Keith assured, spotting the lab not far off, “It’s that treehouse over there.” He pointed to said house, deeply rooted within the largest and thickest tree they’ve seen so far. They continued in their walk before climbing up the wooden ladder, pulling themselves up on the porch of the house.

As the got up, they could already see into the lab itself. There were many different kinds of plants within, and as they ventured inside, Lance felt someone breathe down his neck. “I never thought I’d see the two of you losers venturing out into my realm while under a curse.” Pidge spoke, while Lance yelped. The brunette moved to the side, managing to knock some of the pots over while doing so.

Pidge had her legs rooted into the ceiling, looking at the two upside down, adjusting her glasses as she sent them both an unamused look. She eyed them both before deciding to settle on Keith, “I know you’re cursed but bringing this loser into my realm is unsightly. He’ll break all of my pots.”

“I didn’t break anything!” Lance defended, pulling the pots back up.

Pidge was still unamused, “At least you’re both still alive. I thought one of you would have died by now.”

“One of us being me no doubt.” Keith snorted, moving to sit on a low-hanging branch, settling himself on it comfortably. Lance took that as a sign the branch was safe to sit on and followed suit, finding a seat right next to the pale Fae.

“To be fair, I’d hoped you would be the one to live.” Pidge hums, turning to look back at him, vines moving around her to adjust her work, “Though this curse doesn’t seem to be so bad for you after all. You look like you’ve both been enjoying it far too much.”

Lance and Keith both found themselves touching their fingers towards their necklace of marks. Keith flushing beautifully beneath the light.

“No need for you to feel ashamed Keith.” Pidge snorts, “You’ve made me a happy Queen. I’ve made wagers on this curse. You’ve earned me ten thralls from very many different Fae.”

“Congratulations on winning a wager you apparently placed on us.” Keith replied flatly, his lips thinning.

Pidge smirked proudly, “Have either of you given up your names yet?”

How rude! Lance always knew she was horribly rude, but to ask such a question was the height of rudeness. If he wasn’t within her realm than he would punish her.

“Neither of us have given our names.” Keith’s voice was still flat.

“And your curse still isn’t broken, meaning neither of you have returned to your realm, or run into your fathers.” Pidge humed, turning away, “And I’ve heard The Morrigan were looking for you.”

“She already found me and made her disapproval of the situation known.” Keith admitted bitterly. Lance blinks, startled by the easy admission, or that Keith would even share such a weakness with someone as cold and brutal as Pidge.

“Oh, that’s unfortunate.” Pidge’s tone is almost sympathetic for a moment, shocking Lance even more, and it’s in that moment he realizes that he had vastly underestimated the friendship that existed between the two of them.

And it made sense. The two were oddities among the Fae. Still, that Keith visited Pidge often enough to memorize her security measures and that Pidge had yet to even attempt to offer them food or drink to trap them here spoke volumes. He felt a spike of possessiveness, because Keith never visited _his_  realm as easily and with such attentive care.

“We’re still seeking ways to break the curse.” Keith informed her, kicking his legs where they hung in the air, “We’ve been doing a cleansing ritual, and its weakened the curse, but my mother believes it not to be fast enough.”

Pidge frowned, turning towards him, “A cleansing ritual is a good idea, but there are few other options that would be faster. Humans have their own that are faster, but they are things that would hurt Fair Folk like us.”

“There surely must be a faster way.” Lance spoke, a spike of irrational irritation building. He wanted to get out of this realm, and more importantly he wanted to get _Keith_  out of here. He decided he didn’t like seeing Keith here, relaxed and comfortable like it was his own home.

Shiro must be even worse.

Lance had to work to keep his face neutral. It was funny, none of Keith’s lovers threatened him because he knew they couldn’t satisfy him, but the ones who weren’t lovers were the real threat at taking him away. Keith could probably live comfortably with any of them and never even think of Lance again.

Well, he’d just have to make sure he seduced Keith so much he _couldn’t_  live without thinking of him again.

“You could try Seelie blood.” Pidge’s lips twitched, “Their blood is fantastic for breaking curses. The ritual would be quick and easy then.”

“That’s a wonderful idea.” Keith brightened, his mood suddenly a lot lighter and more joyful than before, the prospect of both breaking a curse _and_  bringing honor to himself by slaying a Seelie pleasing him. His mother would certainly approve if he did, and she would even smile at him if he brought her its wings.

Plus, it sounded like good fun.

“You truly are the most intelligent Fae there is.” Keith praised his friend.

“I know.” Pidge thanked in her own way, “Now run off. Your lover is unsightly.”

“You’re unsightly.” Lance bit back with furrowed brows, “Ever the gremlin.”

“So says the one who is in my realm.” Pidge pointed out without a care in the world, “Go on fools. Get out.” Vines began moving around them, focusing on pushing Lance out. Meanwhile, Keith made his way out by himself, turning to Pidge one more time before climbing down the ladder.

“I know the truth gremlin!” Lance yelled out as the vines carried him down close to Keith, “If you spread out lies that I was courting you, then I bet you wish it were true!”

“More wagers I benefited from. You both have my gratitude, for I am a rich Queen now.” Pidge dismissed as the vines let go, both Keith and Lance back on the ground now. Lance growled while looking up at the other Fae while Keith turned to leave.

“Let’s go. We have a curse to break.” He pulled on the other’s collar, managing to get him moving. If only they weren’t in Pidge’s realm, her little treehouse would be lit up in blue flames right about now. Lance had his arms crossed as he walked behind Keith, the two of them making their way back to where they came from.

They came here looking for answers and yet it somehow felt…strange. They got a hint from Pidge how they could manage to break the curse faster but it still felt… too easy? It left the brunette with a strange feeling within his guts, and he didn’t like it. What’s even stranger is that they were already leaving.

He had never met stranger Fae than Keith and Pidge. They were both unsightly in their ways, creeping him out even in the way they spoke. Everything about this place was strange.

He knew they should have went to Hunk instead. He would have helped them much more than Pidge just did. He bets she has a way to break the curse but didn’t use it in favour of seeing them suffer. It would be typical of her.

He didn’t like it one bit.

They finally reached the exit, and it was at this point that Lance remembered that they had to turn into snakes once again. The thought made him annoyed, just like the rest of this place. “Stay behind me this time.” Keith warned, willing himself to change forms. Lance followed, and soon they were crawling out and back into the real world.

This time they managed to get out much easier than when they came in the first time, but still as he passed, Lance managed to scrape a bit of his side against the Ash wood, hissing. Once they made their way back, they changed into their usual forms. Lance hissed in annoyance, looking at the small burn.

Keith looked down at him, sighing upon the sight of the new wound. “You should have stayed behind me. Then you wouldn’t have gotten-”

“Don’t touch me.” Lance hissed, sending a piercing glare at the other, “I can heal myself.” He eyed the other as he straightened back up, using his power to heal the wound. Once he was done he looked up at Keith again, unamused, “So what? We look for a Seelie?”

Keith frowned at Lance’s suddenly much more hostile behaviour, having genuinely thought that Lance would be pleased that they had gotten the information and gotten out of Pidge’s realm so quickly. Apparently not. “If Pidge suggested it rather than something else than she likely has a Seelie problem in the area surrounding her domain. It's likely she wants us to deal with it.”

Lance’s eyes narrowed, “So she sent us to do her dirty work?”

“No.” Keith shook his head, “She told us a way to break the curse that benefits both herself and us. We can break the curse and get the glory of slaying a Seelie that’s been bothering one of our own, and she gets to take care of the problem without leaving her domain and her work behind.”

“Sounds to me like she’s using us.” Lance placed his hands on his hips.

“She is.” Keith frowns, crossing his arms, “But it’s in a way that benefits all three of us. We get glory and a way to break a curse quickly, she gets to stay in her realm and not deal with the attention killing a Seelie would bring, everyone wins in this scenario.”

“It sounds too convenient to me is all.” Lance made no move to hide his distrust of the situation, “It’s too odd. Why would she help us so easily?”

Keith frowned heavily now, not liking the implications at all. It was one thing when Lance insulted him, it was their game, their way of grabbing each other’s attention, but Keith didn’t appreciate insults towards one of the rare individuals he called a friend, “If you’re suggesting this is a trap, then I don’t believe it is.”

“I am not saying it is a trap.” Lance scolded, “I’m saying that she’s using us for her own amusement and reputation. It may _seem_  like a mutually beneficial task, but I bet she spreads her reputation of subtly using other Kings. There’s a reason she is so feared.”

“You’re paranoid.” Keith sighed, biting his tongue to keep from lashing out, “Pidge is many things, and my friend is one of them, she and I help each other like this frequently.”

Lance’s eyes narrowed at that, “Then you are a bigger fool than I thought, you cannot trust someone that easily.”

“Well I do.” Keith stated, offended on both his and Pidge’s behalf, “We cannot go our entire lives untrusting, Lance. Yes, Pidge is selfish, self serving, and greedy, but she is also fond and benevolent at times. As we all are.”

“Oh, so you trust her.” Lance eyed him doubtfully, “Then tell me, Keith, you must have shared your true name.”

Keith flinched back, startled, “My name…”

“Yes, your true name.” Lance crossed his arms, “If you trust her, you must have shared it.”

“No, of course not.” Keith answered, startled.

“That’s what I thought.” Lance smiled smugly, “You can’t truly say you trust her Keith, you can’t truly say you trust anyone, not without sharing your name. Face it, Keith, you have no one in the world you can trust.”

A thick and heavy silence fell over them, Keith’s face having fallen into stone. Several moments past, and soon even Lance’s own smirk fell and Keith remained staring at him blankly, expressionless. He didn’t like it one bit. Especially when Keith turned away from him and crossed his arms, like he didn’t want to even look at the brunette.

“Shiro.” Keith finally said after several agonizingly long minutes.

“Shiro.” Lance repeated dumbly, not quite a question, but close enough to almost be.

“Shiro knows my true name, I gave it to him.” Keith sent a look over his shoulder, “And he gave me his in return. So, yes, I do have someone in the world I can trust.”

Keith turned around again, facing him fully now, “I just wished that…maybe…someday…you could have been too.”

And then Keith turned away again, “Come on, I want to find that Seelie and kill it so we can be free of this damn curse already.”

Lance’s blue eyes remained on Keith, unable to look away even as the oher turned. He felt something within him snap at those words, unable to contain the contradicting emotions he suddenly felt. Keith’s words had an effect on him, invoking inner emotions he’d pushed away long ago.

He didn’t know when they began to fall but the tears were there on his face, reaching up to wipe at them, looking at his hand after he did. He couldn’t stay here, he needed to get away.

Keith looked over his shoulder when he didn’t hear a response, surprised to see that Lance willed his avian wings to form, blue feathers spreading as he pushed himself up into the sky. “W-Where are you-” Keith hissed when he felt the pain slowly creep on him, feeling it claw at his very being. It wasn’t as strong as he knew it could be, but that was because Lance stopped mid-air, hissing while holding onto his head.

“Keep up!” He yelled back down at Keith, voice low as he did. He flew higher, the pain shooting up as he did. It made the pale Fae hiss in pain, forming wings of his own as he pushed himself up to fly towards the other.

Once Keith was in the air Lance moved as well, flying high and above the treeline. He didn’t look if Keith was following, simply feeling how far he was with the curse. When the pain was stronger, he slowed down, but when it was low he picked up on speed again.

He looked out for the biggest tree that was nearby, spotting one and gliding towards it. Keith followed as he did, the both of them soaring above the vast green below them. Lance flew towards the thickest branch on top, settling on it as Keith landed beside him. “We don’t have time for this.” Keith’s voice was low as he spoke, conveying how displeased he was with what Lance just pulled.

“Shut up.” The brunette hissed back, sitting himself down as far as the curse would allow, letting his wings cover his entire body out of Keith’s view.

The pale Fae looked at the other in confusion, not really sure what happened or why Lance flew away like that. No, he knew why Lance flew away. “You never change Lance. Ever so possessive that you cannot stand the notion that somebody else knows my name.”

“Shut up.” Lance hissed, hidden behind his wings, “Leave me alone.”

“I would I could.” If he could, he would, but the curse didn’t allow it.

“Leave me _alone_.” Lance hissed again, his voice breaking at the end. Keith stood and listened as Lance began sobbing, completely baffled by the situation.

Violet eyes looked at the blue wings, then out at the vast forest in front of them. He was unsure what happened or what he did, but he decided to sit down, letting Lance calm and compose himself. He felt that this was the time Lance needed for himself, and where Keith needed some space to indulge in his own thoughts as well.

He decided to sit on the branch, legs hanging as he looked down at the vast forest.

And as Keith sat, Lance curled in on himself, feeling his tears fall down his face. One would think that he would be glad to hear Keith say those words, that he did wish… or wished at some point to share his real name with Lance. It was something Lance wanted for a long time now, and yet the news of Shiro already knowing Keith’s name got to him.

It made him both annoyed and jealous, but most of all, it made him realise that everything he thought to be true was a lie. Keith had someone he could trust with his true name, _somebody_  he could confide in on that _deep_  of a level. _He has someone in the world that he can trust_.

Lance had always been untrusting, not really having anyone he could share his name with. He and Hunk were close, but they didn’t share each other’s names. It was too much of a risk, and even though he knew Hunk for a long time, he didn’t establish that deep trust with him to give him something so fragile, so precious as his real name.

That’s why when he saw Keith for the first time, he felt relief wash over him because in some way, he and Keith would be the same. Sure there were many other Fae that didn’t give out their real names, but when he saw Keith, he thought they had a lot in common.

For one, Keith seemed untrusting, lingering around parties but never fully indulging in conversations with those he didn’t know or didn’t find interesting. It was a sign for Lance that maybe just like him, he found it hard to share his own name. Nobody shared their true name with strangers, but he honestly thought that it would be harder for Keith to trust _anyone_  based on his interactions with others alone.

And while Keith may have been lingering in the shadows, quietly searching for someone he could confide in, Lance put himself in the limelight, attracting as much attention as he could. He thought that perhaps this way he would be able to approach many different kinds of Fair Folk, judging each and every one to see if they had that _something_  within them that Lance could trust.

He never ended up finding it, never found it easy to trust. He knew that ultimately he was alone, trying to attract empty attention that held no merits. He wanted to find someone he could _trust_ , someone he would find comfort in.

He never found anyone, but that’s where Keith’s presence assured him that just like Lance, he didn’t share his name with anyone. A part of him thought that Keith would end up sharing his name with him at some point as well, that they’d know each other’s names in a world so dangerous that trust was so hard to give. He thought they would have that _special_  bond between them.

Trusting someone is dangerous, and yet Keith had already shared his name. He had someone in this cold world to trust. The truth of it shook Lance, because it would mean that all this time he was lying to himself.

He didn’t have anyone to trust, just like many other lonely Fae out there. Even though he tried to stand out and catch someone’s eye, ultimately he was alone. He didn’t have someone out there he could trust, not like the way Keith trusts Shiro and the other way around.

His thoughts were a mess, even now as the colours of the sky were slowly changing, sunset gradually approaching. He didn’t even care if Keith decided to jump down from the tree. He wouldn’t follow. He’d rather die from the curse than move an inch from this spot.

Tired blue eyes looked out at the sunset, still deep in thought but somewhat calmed down. He felt his stomach rumble, just now realising that they haven’t eaten anything the entire day. No food or water, nothing. Not that he felt like eating now, all of his appetite lost.

Nobody knew his true name, and that was the one ultimate truth.

“You should eat.” Keith, stupid Keith who wasn’t all alone, stated, from behind him. Lance couldn’t see him, his back turned on the pale King, and he didn’t want to right now.

“Shut up.” He scowled, though it had no energy behind it. He just wanted to be left alone with his thoughts, nice and miserable and bereft of that awful enemy of his. All he wanted was to curl in on himself and drown out the rest of the world.

“No.” Keith said, placing a hand on his shoulder, “I need to make sure you eat something before you grow weaker, and to do that we need to get out of Pidge’s domain.”

“I said back off!” Lance snapped, turning to face Keith, “Why don’t you go make sure _Shiro_  is nice and well fed?”

“Because Shiro is in his realm and safe.” Keith kept his voice purposely calm and even, kneeling down, “You’re not. You’re tired, spent, hungry, and obviously distressed. We need to make sure you get food and rest somewhere safe. I may trust Pidge with _my_  life, but I certainly don’t trust her with yours, so get up.”

“Leave me be _Keith_.” Lance hissed, slapping his hand away, “I want to be left alone.”

“Too bad.” Keith kept his voice firm, “I know you’re miserable, but I’m not going to let you sit here and waste away. Now get up or I’ll pick you up and carry you.”

“Why bother?” Lance snorted, turning away, burying his face into his crossed arms resting on his knees. “The fastest way to lift the curse is for one of us to die, so just let me waste away and you can go on and live your happy little life with Shiro.”

“Absolutely not.” Keith grabbed Lance’s shoulder again, “We’re going to go after that Seelie to break the curse, but not until _after_  you’ve had time to rest and sort yourself out. Keeping you up all night was clearly a mistake.”

“Like you care.” Lance snapped, his voice cracking a bit at the end, “All you care about is spiteing Oberon and Titania.”

Keith gave a deep sigh, placing his hand back on Lance’s shoulder, “If that were true I would have dragged you to my realm kicking and screaming, and I would have had Shiro help me if I needed. Now get up.”

“No.” Lance shook his head.

“Lance, I know you’re upset, and I know you want to be left alone, but I need to get you to safety so you can rest.” Keith insisted, nudging his shoulder and trying to get him to stand up, “Now come on.”

“Leave me alone!” Lance spit, curling further in on himself, “I’m not going to trust _you.”_

“You better, because I seem the only one trying to keep you alive right now.” Keith grabbed Lance’s arm, tugging it, “Now get _up_.”

“You’re one to talk Keith!” Lance shoved the Fae off of him, glaring harshly at him, “Two days ago you tried to kill yourself, _twice_ , you don’t get to stand there so high and mighty.”

“It’s exactly for that reason I get to.” Keith snapped, standing back up, unlike Lance he wasn’t nearly as tired, having saved his strength over the day. The wind moved around him, helping him as he seized Lance’s arm again, yanking him up. The wind blew through his hair, tossing his clothes around, even his voice seemed strangely loud as he pulled Lance closer to him, “You didn’t let me fall apart on you, now I’m not going to let you fall apart on me, even if I have to carry you to safety myself.”

Keith didn’t wait for Lance to answer him, wrapping his arms around the tanned King and letting the wind carry them away. Lance couldn’t see past the harsh winds and Keith’s billowing clothes, even his own feathers got in the way of his sight, so he couldn’t see where Keith was taking him. He tried to fight the pale King off, but Keith simply held on tighter and the winds became faster around them, stinging Lance’s eyes into tears.

Eventually Keith landed, letting go of Lance at last. The brunette pushed Keith away, his wings flapping angrily, “Where did you bring me?”

“The nearest neutral territory.” Keith answered, standing and wiping the dirt off his clothes, “So that you can eat, and sleep, and get yourself together without enslaving yourself to another Fae King.”

Lance snorted, “As if I’d do anything you say.” He flapped his wings, settling his feathers back into place after the rough treatment. He remained seated on the ground, noncompliant with Keith’s wishes, “Do whatever you want. I don’t care.”

“You should. I just saved you from enslavement by none other than Pidge.” Keith sighed, looking around the area they found themselves in. As luck would have it, he spotted a berry tree just to his right.

He knew Lance wouldn’t eat them, if only to spite him, so he used his power to pluck some of the berries, carrying them over using the wind to bring them to himself. They landed on the palm of his hand, taking one to taste it. They were good.

“You should eat. You’re weak.” Keith tried again, seating himself down on the ground next to the other.

Lance huffed in response, deciding to ignore Keith completely. He should know, because Lance had already told him to leave him alone. He didn’t feel like repeating himself, so he settled on remaining quiet.

His thoughts drifted back to Shiro and Keith, the shock that they knew their real names still fresh within his mind. Perhaps it was silly of him not to notice it earlier. Shiro and Keith were close, so close that the notion that they might have shared their name should have crossed his mind. It didn’t though, and perhaps that was because Lance saw only what he wanted to see.

He curled in on himself further, raising a brow when he noticed Keith push a leaf of berries right beside him. He narrowed his eyes, ignoring it. As he did, he heard Keith munching on some berries behind him, listening in annoyance as he ate.

The sun had set by now, leaving them both in the darkness of the night. The moon was shining brightly in the sky, however, as compared to the Samhain, its rays of light weren’t as bright. There were no hounds hiding amongst the stars anymore, letting them shine brightly within the sky.

And as they sat, they both noticed wisps that began to rise from the bushes, flying around while emitting their own light. The night was calm and for the first time since they were cursed, they were spending it outside, under the stars. No calls from the underworld that would threaten them anymore, it was just them and the stars now.

Lance felt his stomach rumble, even more weak as he was starved. He’d managed to calm somewhat by now, sighing as he looked out at the wisps. His eyes did glance down at the leaf of berries that was still there, resisting the temptation to eat them. He managed to do so for a while now, but at some point he decided to give in, picking some of the cherries up before eating them.

They were good. One of the best fruit he’d ever eaten. Not that he’d admit that to Keith though.

He looked over at the pale Fae, meeting his eyes. Keith saw him eat the berries but didn’t comment on it, indulging himself in looking at the wisps instead. Lance didn’t say anything either, picking some more berries from the leaf to eat them.

He let his thoughts wonder again, curling on himself more. “Nobody knows.” He finally spoke, voice soft as he did, “Nobody knows my real name.”

“Don’t be silly.” Keith spoke, eyes still on the wisps, “Your parents know your name.”

“That’s different and you know it.” Lance stated resentfully, “My parents were the ones who named me. I’ve never… I’ve never actually _shared_  my name before.”

“And that’s understandable.” Keith hummed, “Few Fae do, you can’t trust even a handful of them, and if Fae of lesser standing or a mortal was given your name it would be a disaster.”

“You shared _your_  name.” Lance shook his head. The idea that Shiro knew, that he had that long coveted knowledge, was horrible. He wondered how it had happened, when they had shared those precious and vulnerable secrets with each other.

If Shiro was the lover that had satisfied Keith longer than he had.

Lance’s hands tightened around his upper arms, his teeth grinding together as his jaw locked into place, a wave of jealousy washing beneath his skin. “If he’s so worthy of your trust then you should make _him_  your bride.”

Keith’s face twisted as he made a disgusted noise, “I’m not deviant enough to sleep with my brother.”

Lance’s eyebrow shot up as he raised his head to look at Keith a bit, “I didn’t know the two of you are brothers.”

Not that it changed much, even siblings aren’t privy to names. Lance had plenty of half siblings whose names he didn’t know, and who in return didn’t know his own name. Still, he hadn’t even known Shiro and Keith were related _at all_. He knew they were close, granted, but brothers? It never even crossed his mind.

“Technically a cousin and a brother.” Keith waved off, “I often forget it’s not common knowledge. One of my aunts, one of the Morrigan, tricked Herne into sleeping with her. It’s been a tense custody battle between them ever since, and Shiro and I grew up close together as a result.”

It made Lance feel a bit better to know there was a reason behind their shared names. He can see it, a younger Keith and Shiro, locked in the Morrigan’s cave, hidden from their fathers, forced to play with only one another. They would have grown fond of each other by sheer necessity alone.

Lance’s own mother was a siren, and as a result Lance was split between growing on the Isle of Mann, the open sea around it, and his father’s ships. He had siblings from both parents, but he also had open space and freedom that Keith and Shiro weren’t privy to.

Still, it didn’t make his own situation feel better. He had never willingly shared his name with another living creature, hadn’t ever taken that step to give and trust. And maybe it was the sea in his blood, much like the death in Keith’s own, but he couldn’t imagine being so bound.

“I imagine you have other siblings then.” Lance poked, because he _needed_  to know if there were any others that Keith had deemed worthy of his name.

“Another one of my aunts had my sister Acxa.” Keith informed with a nod, “And I share a sister named Romelle with Allura through Shiro’s mother. Shiro has very many more siblings through Herne, as you well know.”

Lance scowled.

“Their situation wasn’t like mine and Shiro’s though.” Keith crossed his arms, “Acxa and Romelle were seldom around us, so Shiro and I grew up mostly isolated. They occasionally lived in the Morrigan’s cave, but seldom enough for me to grow close to them and share my name.”

The knowledge was comforting, but nowhere near enough. Lance still couldn’t help but feel like he’d /lost/ something precious.

He’d wanted to be the only one Keith had given his name. Yes, that was true, but now he was also filled with something else, something he’s seldom ever let himself think of, the poisonous truth too dangerous to even let cross his mind.

 _He_  wanted to share his name with someone.

The thought made the tears gather in his eyes again, poisonous and treacherous. He buried his face into his knees, willing them away. He didn’t care, he couldn't care. He’d never…

“Come on, let’s finish eating and get you somewhere you can sleep.” Keith placed a hand gently on his shoulder, “You’ll feel better after you sleep, I’ll wake you when the sun sets. We won’t go after the Seelie until you’re ready.”

Lance turned to look at him, but didn’t say anything on the matter. He wiped at his tears, eating his berries as he willed himself to calm down. The day was calm and he appreciated it, helping him gather his thoughts peacefully.

Once he was done eating, he licked at his fingers, relishing the remaining taste that was there. “I’m not sleeping on the ground.” He spoke, eyeing the earth under them, as well as some of the bugs that were crawling around.

“We’ll find another place.” Keith assured, standing up and flapping his own red wings. He looked up at the sky, getting an idea in mind as he looked over the countless trees. Lance had settled on a tree before, however, that tree was in Pidge’s realm. This time they would need to find one that is on neutral land but just as thick for them to rest on. “We’ll find a tree branch to sleep on.”

Lance wiped at his eyes some more before standing up, “That’s what I wanted to do before you dragged us both away.”

“That was on Pidge’s domain. We’ll need to find another.” He reminded, reaching out to hold Lance’s hand, “We already have wings so we might as well use them.”

Blue feathers stretched, showing the many colours within. “Fine.” Lance agreed, the both of them taking to the sky. They flew over the greenery slowly, holding onto each other’s hands as they flew. It was a better way to evade the pain, unlike the chase they had earlier.

Keith managed to spot a large tree easily, the both of them flying towards it before settling onto the thickest branch. The leaves moved as they landed, enough to accommodate both of their weights. They let go of their hands as they settled, Lance leaning his back against the trunk of the tree.

“Don’t try anything funny tonight.” He warned, eyes narrowed onto Keith, “Don’t try pulling on my memories, stealing my voice or taking my sanity. I’ll wake up as soon as I sense that something is wrong.” He draped his wings over himself, Keith doing the same while rolling his eyes.

“I already pulled on your memories, and you know that I’m not interested in stealing your voice.” He touched the crown on top of his head at the mention of it.

“And don’t sneak up on me while I sleep.” Lance ignored him, moving onto his next warning, “You’re so greedy that you’d use me while in sleep.”

“Even I wouldn’t go that far.” Keith huffed, “Just sleep Lance. I won’t do anything.”

“As if I’d _trust_  you.” Blue eyes looked down at where Keith settled, his hand twitching. No matter what he thought of now, Shiro always came to his mind. It wasn’t fair that he knew and Lance didn’t. That he had the power to control Keith using his name, even if he had shared it with Keith as well.

Along with that, the incredible feeling of wanting to share his name weighed on him as well, prompting more tears to fall down his cheeks. He reached down for Keith’s hand, intertwining their fingers.

He didn’t say anything, but kept holding onto it in an excuse that he would be able to tell where Keith was and what he was doing better with it. That wasn’t the truth though, and he wouldn’t admit it. Not even as he closed his eyes, letting himself rest.

 

* * *

 

Keith slept lightly, leaning against the trunk of the tree they had chosen, but true sleep never came. He couldn’t, not while they were out in the open. Only a fool would harm two sleeping Kings, but the world seems startlingly full of fools these days.

The sun was setting by the time Keith decided he was well and truly rested. Even still he let Lance sleep, the tanned Fae clearly having needed it. He’d been too greedy with the other King, and the brunette had been foolish with what was left of his energy…even if it had been a _wonderful_  waste of energy.

Still, Lance was dead to the world. He’d been asleep for hours now, and Keith had run his fingers through his hair several times and scratched behind his ears to keep him from squirming off the branch. Apparently he was a fitful sleeper when he went to sleep distressed.

Hopefully Lance would feel a bit better when he woke up. Keith couldn’t exactly do anything for whatever issues he had right now, it was something that had to be worked through with time and time alone.

Keith watched the sun set, warm colors fading into cool. The moon would rise soon, and Lance would be stronger under its rays, same with Keith.

Seelie only came out at night for that reason. Not that Keith thought they’d be going after that Seelie tonight. Lance clearly wasn’t ready for it. Even when he was fully rested and fed the noirette suspected that he would need some time to work through the issue plaguing his mind, something that would probably be easier now that he had rested on a full stomach.

Keith squeezed Lance’s hand gently. His sleeping lover muttered something unintelligible under his breath. Violet eyes watched as the brunette turned, shifting into a more comfortable position.

The prince of the dead flickered his eyes outward, watching as the first of his father’s hounds played through the sky. The hunt didn’t end with Samhain, but the call thankfully lessened, now his mind was clear, whispers of the dead and promised love no longer teasing him.

The dead adored him.

Keith shook his head, ridding himself of the lingering thoughts. He stroked Lance’s hair, his other hand squeezing around tanned fingers again. He knew that his mother was right, that one day his father _would_  pass on the title of Arawan to him, but that was thousands of years in the making, he had no need to dote on the dead until then.

Besides, right now Lance was the one that needed to be doted on. Not that Keith would admit it, he preferred the chase, but it wouldn’t be fun if Lance’s mind was too fractured to take part in their lover’s game.

He watched a wisp lazily fly by, the night less dramatic than the previous. Even the distant sounds of the Hunt seemed more restful now. Everyone was resting after Samhain, letting themselves enjoy the fruits of a successful year.

Pink lips twitched. Keith may very well have not gotten to hunt, but he thinks his Samhain has been successful all the same. Yes, some unfavorable things happened, but what he gained outweighed what he lost, especially once they find the Seelie and slay it.

He wondered who would chase who first after.

The way it was looking to Keith, he’d be the one chasing first. He was greedier, and Lance was distracted by his own thoughts. Unless they worked through those thoughts before the curse was broken. Only time would tell.

Galloping footsteps sounded around the area, and Keith glanced downward as a white deer passed, fleeing for its life. The Hunt followed behind, the footsteps loud as they thudded against the forest floor, high whistles sounding as their dogs kept pace. Keith caught a glimpse of his father, among them, but didn’t call out as the man passed, not wanting to distract him from the game.

The galloping stirred Lance though, which was unfortunate, as Keith wanted to let him rest as long as he could.

“Ancients.” Lance muttered as he slowly woke up, eyes opening and adjusting to the world again. His face twisted in mild discomfort, sticking out his tongue. Then he tilted his head to face Keith, eyes flying over to his hair. “God…”

The pale Fae sighed, already having a feeling what the other was going to say, “Don’t insult my hair.”

“It’s monstrous. It tried to eat me in my dreams.” Lance stretched his legs and arms, humming contently before relaxing against the trunk again, “The mullet grew in size and you willed it to eat me. Under it there was a hidden mouth with sharp teeth, even sharper than that of a dragon. Luckily it didn’t manage to eat me.”

“You are obsessed.” Keith rolled his eyes, squeezing Lance’s hand, “Although I could will my hair to grow just like in your dreams.”

“You wouldn’t do that.” Lance was quick to say, “You can’t kill me while we’re cursed, or else Allura and Lotor win.” Also he didn’t want to relive his nightmare, but it wasn’t like he was going to tell Keith that. “At least you’re admitting that it is a familiar.”

“I didn’t admit anything. It’s just hair Lance, let it go.” Keith raised his free hand up to pull the bangs on his face behind his ear.

“Monstrous hair. There must be a reason you’re wearing it, and I’ll find out. I’ll uncover all your secrets.” The other mused, looking up at the moon above them. It’s light was relaxing, giving him the strength he desperately needed.

“Something woke me up.” Lance yawned, looking out into the forest to see if he could see or hear anything.

“The Hunt.” Keith followed Lance’s eyesight, searching for where his father might have run off to, “And I saw my father among the hunters tonight.”

The tanned King raised a brow, processing the new information, “You could have called out to him. He would have been breaking the curse for us right about now.” He hissed, pushing himself up to stand on the branch, “If I call out to him then he might come back.”

“He’s too thrilled by the Hunt. Even if you called, I’m sure he wouldn’t hear.” Keith pulled on his hand, managing to use enough force to make the other fall down and sit again, “We can’t ask any favours. We’re breaking the curse by ourselves.”

“You fool.” Lance turned towards him now, his attention fully on Keith, “You just let an easy option slip between your fingers. Perhaps your mother’s words did much more than calm your greedy self.”

Keith closed his eyes for a second, leaning against the trunk, “She was right. You can’t deny it.” Then he opened his eyes again, meeting blue, “We are Kings of our realms, and one day we’ll become Gods.” For Keith it wasn’t a question of ‘if’ but ‘when’, “We have to prove our strength before then.”

“Or what you really want is to redeem yourself by bringing the Seelie to her. Don’t think I wouldn’t know. You were devastated after her visit, just like a beat up dog.” Lance teased, “Or perhaps you didn’t call out to your father in favour of keeping the curse for a bit longer. It would benefit you if you wish to satisfy your greed while I’m with you.”

“We’re not asking our fathers for help.” Keith made that known, “We’re catching the Seelie.”

“Whatever.” Lance turned to look up at the sky, thoughts of what happened before he fell asleep coming back to him. He bit his lip, willing himself to calm. The night was young and they were both close to breaking the curse. He didn’t know whether to see it as a good or a bad thing at this point, especially with the notion that Keith had already willingly given his name to someone.

“I take it we’re going to hunt the Seelie then.” He pushed those thoughts away, “That should be easy.”

“We’ll leave whenever you’re ready.” Keith stated, moving to stand, hand pressed against the base of the tree, eye locked on the distant hills where the Seelie likely roamed, “I won’t face the Seelie before you decide you are ready.”

“Leaving the decisions to me is unlike you.” Lance turned to smirk at him, wrapping his hands around his knees, “Hmmm, suspicious. Between that and your unwillingness to call out to your father, I’m starting to think that you don’t want the curse to be broken.”

“I don’t want to face the Seelie before you’re ready.” Keith admitted, frowning a bit, “Seelie may be small and silly, but they’re still powerful. I’m confident that even just one of us could beat it, but they’re tricky and I don’t want us getting hurt.”

Lance’s smile fell, “So you think I’ll distract us.”

“No.” Keith shook his head firmly, “I want you to be safe. I’m confident that you can kill it even if you were as exhausted as you were yesterday, but I don’t want you to have to fight if you’re troubled.”

“I’m not troubled.” Lance looked away, biting on his lip again. He willed himself to calm before standing up so that he was head to head with Keith, “You think so lowly of me if you’re under the impression that I’d be troubled about anything.”

“I know you are. After yesterday, there’s no way I wouldn’t know, otherwise I’d be blind.” Keith reached out to take his hand again, squeezing it, “And I think I know exactly what bothers you.”

Lance eyed him carefully before his lips curved in amusement, “Indulge me then.” He let himself lean closer, hands placed on Keith’s shoulders, “You gave your name to Shiro. That’s a fact, and I cannot change it. There’s no way something like that would bother me, since you said yourself that you were like brothers.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Keith didn’t give in, moving his own hands to rest them on Lance’s back, “You came out and said it yourself. Nobody apart from your parents knows your real name. I know it’s that you’re really troubled with.”

Lance paused, trying to hide his flinch. His smile fell, remaining quiet as he held onto Keith’s shoulders. “Lies.”

“They’re not. It’s the truth.” The pale King leaned his head forward, lips close to Lance’s ear, “Give me your true name and I’ll treasure it. It would relieve you of your troubles, since you already seem to be unconsciously trusting me. You fell asleep right next to me, it’s proof.”

The other remained quiet, then hummed after a minute passed, pushing himself so that he could look at Keith’s face. His smile returned, leaning closer to capture Keith’s lips into a passionate kiss. He trailed his hands up to the sides of his face, holding onto it as he leaned it to the side for better access.

And once they parted, they opened their previously closed eyes, violet meeting blue. “How sweet of you Keith.” Lance teased, “Your words were convincing but still not enough.” He mused, looking to the side and into the distance where the Seelie probably was, “Perhaps I might change my mind once we rid ourselves of this curse. But even that might change depending on the mood I’m in.”

Keith hummed, eyeing the other, “So you’re trying to say that you’re ready.”

“We’re hunting the Seelie tonight. If anything, _I’ll_  be the one to kill it. Then I’ll have the satisfaction of watching you crawl back to your mother, presenting her the Seelie with the knowledge that you didn’t take its life. You’d simply be taking credit for something you didn’t do. I wonder if that would hurt your reputation you’re trying to repair.” That would give him the greatest of pleasures, motivating him to be the one to kill the Seelie.

“I’d never take credit for something like that.” Keith huffed, “And my mother would know if I killed it or not.”

“Even more amusing.” Lance stepped away, pointing his finger slyly at the other’s chest, “I’ll humiliate you in front of your mother once again. I did it once, and I’ll do it again.”

“ _You_  were hardly the one to humiliate me.” Keith taunted, his hands coming to rest on Lance’s shoulders, “It was only her worry and displeasure with the situation. She was equally disgusted with you, if you recall.”

“Perhaps she’ll think twice once I kill the Seelie.” Lance teased, “Perhaps I’ll be her new favorite and she’ll disown you.”

“I doubt it.” Keith waves off, “Even if you slayed the Seelie while I swooned like a maiden, I would still be my mother’s flesh and blood.”

“Her embarrassment.” Lance mocked, his hands coming to cup Keith’s cheeks, “Face it Keith, there’s nothing you can do to regain her respect.”

“I never lost it.” Keith pulls away with a pout, “And here I was willing to share the glory of killing a Seelie with you. Now I think I’ll kill the Seelie alone and take all the glory for myself.”

“You’re threatening to take all the fun for yourself.” Lance sniffed, reaching to turn Keith back towards him, “Not only are you a greedy lover, you’re also a greedy partner!”

“You’re the one who threatened to take all the glory first.” Keith turned his head away, “I’m just returning the favor.”

“Darling, if you’re going to turn this into a competition then you might as well wager something.” Lance smirked, running a finger down Keith’s spine, delighted in the goosebumps left behind. But his words caught Keith’s attention, violet eyes suddenly amused as they turned back towards him.

“I won’t be giving you victory just because you make a wager.” Keith hummed, “There’s nothing even offered yet.”

“If I win, you have to transform into anything I desire during our next night.” Lance hummed, his fingers trailing circles in his lover’s back, tempting his greedy lover with bait the tanned King knew he couldn’t resist, “If you win then you choose the form.”

“Tempting.” Keith smirks, “Assuming you _can_  win another night with me after rejecting me so.”

“I know I already have.” Lance stated confidently, feeling goosebumps raise on Keith’s skin, “Otherwise you would have said no.”

“You _do_  know we’ll end up too busy sabotaging each other to kill the Seelie.” Keith hummed, but the smile spreading across his face told Lance he was interested in the game.

“Of course darling, that’s what makes the game fun.” Lance grinned, leaning down to whisper in his ear, “And I know you love games, you greedy soul.”

“Hmmm.” Keith closed his eyes, leaning into the touch, and Lance knew he had his starved lover caught, “I suppose if I lose I could always kill another one for my mother.”

“That’s the spirit.” Lance taunted, moving his hand and tracing it down Keith’s neck, “Now that the Samhain is over, we’ll have much more fun together.” He whispered, gently tilting Keith’s head so that he could capture those lips into another passionate kiss.

That’s what Keith thought he was going to get anyway, that is before Lance’s lips teasingly brushed against his, moving away as Keith parted his lips. Violet eyes opened in confusion, noting the mischievous look on Lance’s face, “So, so greedy. You hunger for me.” His lips curved, pushing himself off Keith before turning around.

The tanned King spread out his blue wings at their full capacity, tilting his head to look at the other, “Come now, we have a Seelie to catch.”

Keith bit his lip in annoyance, dead set on returning the favour of what Lance did just now. He spread out his own wings, glowing violet eyes meeting Lance’s own. “The wager is set. There’s no turning back now.” He made it clear, Lance’s smirk only widening.

They both took to the skies, flying close as they did. The greenery passed below them as they flew, the whistling and yells of the hunt loud under them. Luckily none could see them as they flew, going to a lake where the Seelie are known to reside.

They didn’t want to alert anyone to their presence though, landing into the greenery just beside the lake. They were quiet as they approached, looking out of the bushes and out at the water. They glided their eyes over the vast lake, delighted to see two Seelie just beside the lake on the shore.

They both gave each other challenging looks, preparing themselves for their own hunt that was about to begin. A lot was at stake here with their wagers, and for one, Lance was absolutely delighted at the idea that he would both get Keith to change into a mer, and make him look like a fool in front of his mother.

Keith on the other hand was itching to present his mother with a Seelie, then also get a prize of his own by having Lance transform into a little something he already thought of. The odds couldn’t be better for him, the moon shining down on them and giving them both strength.

“There’s a river.” Lance noted, more than pleased, “I’m back in my element.”

“That won’t help you.” Keith’s voice was low, quiet so that the Seelie don’t hear them, “Water or no water, we already know which one of us is the victor.”

“That would be me.” Lance mused, “There’s no way I’m changing into a dragon to please you. I’m in it for the win mullet.”

Keith hummed in delight, “Dragon is an option… But I have something better in mind.” He tilted his head to look at the brunette, licking his lips, “It’ll be the most beautiful form you’ll ever take.”

“You pervert.” Lance rolled his eyes, “I know I’m irresistible but I’m not sure if I want to expose my poor body to you like that. However in the end the loser will have to suck it up, no matter which one of us it is.” Their attentions turned back onto the unsuspecting Seelie, “I have a clear advantage here.”

“It won’t help you.” Keith prepared himself, wings tense as he waited for the right moment to leap at his prey, “Not when I’ll be the one to win.”

They both looked at each other one more time before deciding to go for it, jumping out of their hiding to attack the two Seelie that were taken completely by surprise. The Seelie pulled up shields to protect themselves, hissing at the two Fae that just attacked them.

Seelie were small creatures, incredibly tiny, and also incredibly powerful. They made up for their lack of height by superior magical skill. So their shields were strong. This may have thrown off an average Fae, but Keith and Lance weren’t average, they were Kings under the Tuath Dé.

The shields fell, and that’s when the Seelie knew what danger they were truly in.

The two Seelie were probably wishing they weren’t banished from whatever court they came from. They would have found safety in numbers, but they were alone now, and as far as Keith was concerned it was only a matter of time before they were slain.

The two Seelie darted in different directions, likely thinking it would be better to wear the two Kings down and separating them. A foolish move, he and Lance were used to fighting without each other.

Keith called the winds, blowing them harshly against the small Seelie’s body, slowing it down. The blue-skinned thing hissed, a shining light surrounding it as Keith found his blood freezing from the inside. He blinked, feeling the pain spiking inside him, but fought back with fire instead, all consuming and overtaking his body. His blood boiled now, and with that, let it free. Tiny red droplets hit the ground, and blackness formed from it, reaching out for the Seelie, who gave a squeal as it was overtaken.

Lance, for his part, had something Keith didn’t for the fight.

He still had his bags of salt.

Known fact, if you throw salt on the ground Seelie can’t resist counting it. It was a silly weakness, in Lance’s opinion, and one many Seelie tried to keep hidden. The average peasant may not be able to afford salt too often, but Lance had serval bags yet to be used. So he took one and tossed the grains around the Seelie, smiling as he watched the poor thing fall to the ground and start counting the grains.

Now to just…

Something hit the back of Lance’s head with a sick thud, sending a white-hot spike of pain through him and giving him a horrible headache. He turned, snarling, to find a mortal man of all things standing there with wide eyes, his hands trembling around an iron pan.

Fun fact, cold iron _burned_  his kind, it was one of the few things that even Pidge wouldn’t touch.

The human man trembled, eyes blown wide with fear. He raised his pan higher, like a mighty weapon, and spoke in a shaking voice, “H-Have at th-thee v-illain.”

“I should kill you for that.” Lance spoke, eyes going dark, “Now give me your soul and I _may_  have mercy on you.”

“U-Unhand my master.” The fool spoke again.

Lance gave an _evil_  smile, “I think I’ll lock you in a dungeon in my realm and leave you for the Kelpies. They do love to play with mortal meat.”

Lance glanced back at the Seelie still desperately counting through the grains of salt, having only gotten through a couple of dozen out of a thousand, then he glanced over towards where Keith seemed to be killing the other Seelie.

Lance scowled, turning and hitting the Seelie with a chainlike whip, smashing the tiny thing with nothing more than a small cry, leaving its tiny body crushed and broken and lifeless on the ground, surrounded by the salt it had so desperately tried to count.

“You cost me a bet with my lover.” Lance hummed, moving to pick up the crushed body of the Seelie he killed. He turned back, smile still in place, the Seelie held between his hands, “Luckily for you I haven’t lost either.”

He used his power to send the iron pan out of the human’s hand, startling the mortal and making him fall onto the ground pathetically. Lance hummed in contentment as the human stared up at him in fear, blue eyes glowing within the moonlight. “The only compensation I’ll take is your soul.” He raised his hand up, and within a second, the human was gone, taken into his realm where he would suffer for eternity.

“It seems you’ve gotten yourself a slave to boot.” Keith noted, back with his own catch within his hands, “And we both slayed a Seelie.”

“We did.” Lance’s lips curved, eyeing the two lifeless bodies within their hands, “I’d still say that its my victory though, seeing as I knew its weakness and went about it the right way.”

Keith huffed, “Clearly we’ve both slain them, which means that it’s a tie.” They were both lucky that there were two Seelie, otherwise Keith had no doubt that they would be more focused on fighting each other rather than the actual Seelie.

“Which means that you’ll exhaust my poor body once again.” Lance noted, although the smirk was still on his face, “But if it means that I get to have a say in what you turn into, then I’m all for it.”

“Good.” Keith felt his own excitement rise, looking down at the bloodied Seelie, “Among other things, we’ll be able to rid ourselves of the curse.” Which means that they’ll be free, with the bonus of Allura and Lotor not getting what they want.

“The time has come.” Lance purred, taking a step closer to the other, “Makes me wonder if you’re really willing to do this, since you seem so set on keeping me around.” He teased, “Perhaps when we’re done with our lovemaking, you’ll find yourself all by your lonesome. You can never know.”

“Perhaps.” Keith’s fingers drew circles on Lance’s chest, “But even if I do I know you’ll come back. You can’t resist the chase.”

“You say such bold things.” Lance licked his lips, tilting his head while Keith’s hands left bloodied art across his skin, “Makes me wonder what you’ll do if this is our last night. The chase won’t be so easy when we’re not trapped together.”

“You’ll love the fun of it more that way.” Keith stated confidently, his delicate fingers continuing their work across the tanned body. Lance let him draw the glyphs across his skin, letting the King prepare the ritual that would break their curse.

“Or maybe I’ll be tired with you and find pleasure in different lovers.” Lance teased him, causing Keith to pause for the slightest second, his fingers frozen over bronze skin.

“I’ll have to be good then.” Keith stated with a smile after a moment, continuing his work with a teasing smirk as he fluttered his eyes to meet blue. “I’ll have to work particularly hard tonight. By the time I’m done with you, you’ll forget your own name, much less the fact you’ve ever had anyone else. Then come morning you’ll be chasing _me.”_

Lance shivered at the promise in those words.

Keith finished his work quickly and silently after that, perhaps eager to fulfil his promise. Deft fingers flickered away, moving on to paint glyphs across his own pale skin. Blue eyes watched, appreciating the sight perhaps a little too much. The pale King must be adept with paint to make the lines so quickly. Lance would have to find out if this assumption was true. If it was then he’d have to supply Keith with paints once he learned his name…

The tanned King paused, contemplating. Did he still want Keith’s name now that he knew it was held by another? The sweet victory of being the only one with that power given to him had been taken away, if even the appeal of having that power at all was still there. But would it be worth all the effort he’d have to put in anymore?

Something bubbled in his stomach at the thought of _not_  having the name.

It didn’t matter if Shiro had Keith’s name, Lance decided. However long Shiro had it the older Fae King obviously could never give Keith what he needed. That right had been reserved for Lance alone, if the brunette had the pale King’s name he’d still be the only one with that power.

Keith finished his work with a small smile, his violet eyes sparkling with innocent excitement now that his work was done. The Fae looked softer than Lance had ever seen him, even covered in the ritualistic blood. The noirette looked proud of his work, like a child who’d finished their painting, “It is done. Now all we need is to speak the chant.”

And how was Lance supposed to deny that?

He took Keith’s hand, dropping the small Seelie as he was pulled against the pale King. They closed their eyes, pressing their foreheads together as both their hands interlocked. Soft chanting was spoken, the power rippling through the skin and powered by the blood as the two spoke ancient words, the moon shining down on them and making it far easier for the magic over them to wane and bend, creaking as it tried to retain its hold over them before finally breaking and shattering.

They listened as the curse cast upon them shattered, unmoving as the sounds of the shattering slowly faded into silence. Only when it did, did they decide to open their eyes, violet meeting blue once again, smiles spreading across their faces.

They both squeezed each other’s hands, unmoving even now that the curse was broken. Their eyes lidded, moving their lips closer until they met, indulging themselves in a few pecks before deepening the kiss.

They stood there under the moonlight, the sweet reflections of the light that were cast upon the lake glittering over them as well. Even though they had blood on themselves, they didn’t care, indulging themselves as they kiss.

Once they parted, their eyes met again, Lance leaning closer to nuzzle against the other’s neck. Keith hummed contently, leaning his head to give the other better access. “It’s over. We’re free.”

“We are.” Keith hummed, moving his hands onto Lance’s shoulders.

Lance closed his eyes for a second, feeling a bit conflicted. He wanted to break the curse, sure, but now he was worried that Keith might really walk away from him, and that frightened him. He liked to tease the other about leaving him, but he didn’t like the idea of Keith finding another lover. It made his possessiveness spiral, swearing to cast his wrath upon anyone who tried to indulge Keith in bed.

“The night is young. We have a lot of time to ourselves.” Lance whispered, surprising Keith when he suddenly picked him up, holding him within his arms with a mischievous smirk on his face. The wings were bothersome, but he tried to bear with it nevertheless.

The tanned King took to the skies, flying over the greenery with Keith in his hold. The pale King smirked, reaching out to run his hand through Lance’s locks as they flew. “We should go to my realm.” Keith suggested mischievously, “I have a bed to accommodate us.”

Lance hummed, not willing to risk that, “We’re staying in neutral territory.” Blue eyes looked under them, flying towards the tree with the thickest trunk. He glided towards it, landing beside it. After settling Keith down onto the ground, he used his power to rip the inside of the tree, making it completely hollow from within.

The tanned King used more of his power to create the inside as comfortable as he could, also deciding that a small pool was a necessity he needed for his plans. The power to maintain this would tire him, but surely at the prospect of indulging themselves for a longer time, Keith would help him maintain this with his own powers.

“Perfect.” Lance noted contently, leaning his hands against his hips, “I bet you never saw anything more creative, even in Pidge’s realm.”

“It is rather comfortable.” Keith complimented, pocketing the dead Seelie within a bag before tossing it to the side. Violet eyes studied their getaway, plump lips twitching as the King made an approving noise, “It will do.”

Keith reached out a hand, proving Lance’s hopes to be fruitful as his own magic twisted and joined in the efforts to maintain their little paradise. The tanned Fae grinned, walking up to wrap his arms around the other’s stomach and pulling him close, “Tell me what you want.”

His lover made a lusty noise, his arms reaching backwards over his shoulders, pulling the brunette’s head closer as he arched his own head back, “I want you marked and tattooed, all pretty and vine covered like an elf.”

 _Oh._ Now that was a fantasy that he was more than happy to fulfil, especially with such pretty compliments. Lance focused, letting his blood become inks as vines grew across his body, spreading beneath his skin with a slight glow. Keith moaned as the soft humming of the marks filled his ears, the ink settling as the designs sunk.

Now his greedy lover was turning in his arms, his lips already kissing along the new marks. Lance grabbed a fist-full of that hair, yanking the needy mouth away with a gentle yank. Keith gave a small cry at the lack of contact, his eyes shining and pleading. Lance wasn’t giving in yet though, not before he got what he wanted, “Not until I get what I want.”

“Tell me.” Keith demanded, his eyes locked onto the tattoos making their way down the skin.

“I want you to be a mer.” Lance told him, his face flushing in desire, “You were so pretty in my memory I had to resist taking you again, but now I want to make up for that lost opportunity.”

“You’re serious.” Keith huffed, like he couldn’t believe what he’d heard, which was ridiculous since Lance’s desire was perfectly sensible unlike _someone_.

“So says the one who wanted me as a dragon.” Lance dips his lover, dragging him over to the pool, “Now change.”

“Dragons have two cocks and a lot of stamina I’ve heard.” Keith hummed, eyes dazed, but he changed nevertheless. A red tail grew where his long legs once were, glittering scales and fins forming up his body slowly, teasing, as clothes were once again shed, “But I’ve not heard so much of mer.”

“Oh, you will.” Lance teased, his hips rolling as he shed his own clothes, “You’ll be stuck like this for months, because by the time I’m done you won’t _want_  to change back, much less take a dragon.”

Keith made an appreciative noise as his lips found Lance’s stomach, kissing along the vines over his abs, “You best keep that promise, else I’ll be resentful.’

Well, who was Lance to deny that challenge?

He knew from previous experience that Keith was too greedy for their lovemaking not to last the rest of the night, but this meeting between them was far more intense than the other two. They were faster, louder, longer. The both of them were high on lust and the excitement of freedom. Lance had feared that their newfound freedom would have dampered Keith’s passion with the knowledge that he could find other lovers and didn’t need to pass the time with him, but breaking the curse only seemed to increase his enthusiasm.

The pale King seemed intent on keeping his promise to make Lance forget his own name, because he became lost in rolling waves of intense heat and pleasure, the taste of cider and spice never leaving his lips.

The notion of time was forgotten as they indulged themselves, uncaring what the world outside was like. The heat was intense, burning brightly between the both of them, giving them more energy to continue on. Unlike their previous lovemaking, Lance found more strength and willingness within him to keep up, managing to keep going over the limit he’d set himself for last time.

At some point they both slowed down, Keith managing to remain a mer for the whole duration of their interaction. Lance found the greatest pleasures in running his hands down that scale covered red tail while Keith was more than set on admiring every line that appeared on Lance’s body. At some point Lance willed himself to create more lines and tattoos, only so that Keith could keep on admiring his skin in the many ways he liked.

Lance also had a feeling that Keith grew to enjoy the mer body much more than he would like to admit, discovering the many ways it allowed him to receive pleasure. Although at the same time Lance found Keith’s own motivation to please him more than thrilling, giving Lance pleasures he never felt before.

They had no idea what time of the day it was, didn’t even know if it was the day after they’ve began. All they knew was that they slowly ceased their movements, their hips slowing in their thrusts, finally coming to an eventual stop as they both panted, letting their upper bodies fall on top of one another.

Lance moved his arm over Keith’s back, looking down at the other as he breathed, laying against his vine covered tanned chest. Even while exhausted, he lowered his hand under the water, tracing his hand over the scales he had grown so very fond of.

Keith hummed contently at the contact, tail barely managing to move in response to the pleasuring touch. The mer leaned his lips against Lance’s skin, licking along the line on Lance’s body that was closest to him, then biting down and sucking at the skin.

They were both _covered_  with marks, proving that their intense lovemaking session happened. None of their previous nights could compare to the marks they managed to gather this time, necks and shoulders decorated in beautiful, yet possessive, hickeys. Although, Keith harboured a few marks on his tail, while Lance had them randomly on his body, wherever Keith would follow a particular line before deciding to bite down.

They both let themselves relish in their touch, relaxed within the water as they panted. Lance had to admit to himself that he was _spent_ , and most likely didn’t have it in himself to stand up right now. He didn’t feel strength in his legs at all, letting himself lean onto the rock but not holding onto it for support.

Blue eyes looked down at Keith, and while Keith didn’t seem as tired, he was definitely more than exhausted as well. The mere sight of him made Lance’s lips curve to their maximum capacity, delighted to know that he was the one who managed to do this to Keith.

No other lover would be able to drive him to this state of exhaustion. Lance was confident in his thoughts, only further proved by Keith’s tired state. The pale King was his for the taking, nobody else could have claim over him.

A tanned hand moved, reaching out to touch Keith’s own palm, intertwining their fingers. He relished the feeling of the other resting on top of him, burying his face into the black hair he now found so much relief in. Even now as he closed his eyes, he smelled cider and spice, a fragrance that only Keith could have.

The pale King hummed contently, leaning himself further onto tanned skin. He nuzzled his head closer to Lance’s neck, squeezing Lance’s hand in delight. The other gave out his own hum, making Keith relish the feeling of Lance’s chest vibrating under him.

“You did it.” Lance whispered, and his exhaustion could be felt even from his voice, “I don’t remember the last time I had such a good time with anyone. This is a night I’ll remember.”

Keith’s lips curved, letting himself enjoy the victory, “You managed to keep up. Compared to our previous two nights, I’d say I’m proud.”

“Hmmm…” Lance hummed again, moving his head so that he could place a kiss on top of Keith’s head, receiving a pleasing sound in reaction. “You’re beautiful.” Lance whispered, placing another kiss on top the black hair, “A beautiful gem to be treasured. More than deserving of being mine.”

Keith froze for only a moment, and Lance almost feared he had overstepped on his hunt and scared away his prey, but the noirette melted into his touch. Keith made a soft noise, something that wasn’t a moan but sounded just as enjoyable to Lance’s ears.

“I planned to flee after this.” Keith admitted, curling against Lance’s body in a way that felt so _right_ , like he was made to be there. He moved a heavy hand upwards, his fingers feather light as they drew circles across Lance’s chest. “I planned to see how long it would take for you to recover and catch me, see how long it would take before one of us was lured to the other, but you used me too well. I’ve never been this wonderfully numb before. I don’t think I can move.”

Lance smiled, feeling a smug sense of victory wash over him at the confirmation. He placed another kiss on top of Keith’s forehead, his hand refusing to let go of Keith’s as the other moved to massage the muscles in his lover’s back.

Keith made that lovely sound again, curling closer into Lance’s body, as if their curse hadn’t already been broken. He rested his chin on the tanned chest after placing down a few more pecks, gazing up at the brunette through his fluttering lashes, “You’re too gorgeous, it’s not fair.”

The tanned King felt his breath hitch at the admittance. The two of them had said many things like it during their teasing and lovemaking, but something about this one felt different. There wasn’t the mocking edge that came with their teasing, or the mindless passion that came with the lovemaking. This was easy, almost resigned in the way it was stated, like it was something Keith was reminding himself of as much as he was telling Lance. It was genuine, something that wasn’t being used to draw him in, only a simple fact.

Lance was too spent to reward Keith by throwing him to the ground and ravishing him again, so he settled on pulling him upward and peppering kisses on his face instead, making the beautiful creature make another one of those lovely noises.

Lance relished in the feeling of touching the soft skin, purring out contently the more kisses he placed. Keith seemed to enjoy them as well, if him leaning further into them was anything to go by. They remained a tangled mess of arms, legs and a tail, remaining as close together as they could be.

However, even though Lance was content at the moment, he felt his thoughts drift away to a dark place, one where he imagined Keith being with another. Those thoughts made him pause in his kisses, imagining Keith in bed with another, receiving pleasures and sweet kisses from someone that wasn’t him.

It made the possessiveness within him furious, tightening his hold on the other. It was a dangerous reality, one made possible with the breaking of the curse. Now that it was gone, they were free to venture out on their own, just like they did before. This time, however, it would be different.

Lance was content in chasing Keith all this time, the many years he knew him, but now that he tasted what Keith had to offer, and the whole of Keith, it was hard for him to let go. They’ll always be chasing one another, because it’s what defined their relationship. However, a part of it changed.

They used to chase one another before in hopes of gaining the other’s attention, wanting themselves to be noticed and seen. Now, this would change into a completely different chase. But no matter what kind of a chase it was, it would always be thrilling. Lance knew it would be, and that’s what attracted him to Keith more and more.

The pale King was an enigma, and so far, Lance couldn’t stop seeing him as that. Not even now that Keith was pressed so closely against him, marking him in kisses of his own.

His lips set fire wherever they touched, giving Lance goosebumps whenever he would plant a kiss upon his body. It was relieving and satisfying at the same time, something Lance wasn’t willing to give up.

He was unsure of his decision, but it felt right.

The chase would still be there, and yet he could have Keith all to himself. And if what he saw thus far was anything to go by, then he knew that Keith felt the same way. Lance closed his eyes, pausing in his advances for a second, “I love you.” He whispered, making Keith freeze in place.

“I love you.” He said again, pushing some of those black locks of hair behind Keith’s ear.

They were damning words for Fair Folk, powerful in their own way, and his fate was sealed the moment he spoke them. He could feel it, beating like a drum within him, pounding its way through his chest and working outside his body. Keith unfroze then, forcing hands on Lance’s chest and pushing himself upward, eyes widened in panic.

“Lance.” He breathed, voice resonating through the brunette’s body as the pounding drum left, finally free from inside him. His beating heart was free now, beating freely as it moved towards Keith’s hands. Keith panicked, wildly reaching for it and grasping it in his hands. “Lance! Do you realize what you’ve done?!”

He didn’t care about the rudeness, or the panic, because all he could feel was his heart in Keith hands and the overwhelming love he finally let himself feel. Keith was so warm, and his hands were so gentle. He raised his hands, cupping his lover’s cheeks, “I know, I know, and I love you.”

Keith sniffed, his beautiful eyes gone teary, and Lance couldn’t resist the urge to brush them away with his thumbs. His heart was held gently in those pale hands, pressed close to Keith’s chest, the soft glow illuminating the sweat washed skin of his lover.

“I won’t be able to protect it.” Keith sniffed, his lip trembling as he tried to move and press the heart back into Lance’s chest, “Take it back.”

“Don’t insult me.” Lance leaned upwards, pressing another kiss to Keith’s neck, pressing the heart between them. He could feel Keith guarding it between their chests, proving his own words wrong as Lance placed warm kisses against the pale neck, “Only you can. I clearly failed.”

Keith swallowed, clenching the heart gently as he held it closer. He sniffed again, soft words playing at his lips. His crown appeared on his head, its shining red diamond clear to Lance’s eye, and he knew where his heart would be from now on. Pale hands rose, pressing the gift against the jewel, and blue eyes got to watch as the jewel became something _more_ , shining with the light of his heart. He could still feel himself inside of it, his love crowning Keith’s head, proud and true for everyone to see.

The pale body trembled against his, and Lance pulled his lover into an embrace. Finally, finally he was free to simply hold him with the knowledge that no one else would ever be here where he was.

“You’re a fool.” Keith stated, his hands twisting in Lance’s hair, body still pressed close and shaking, “A fool.”

“I am.” Lance admitted, “A happy fool.”

“I love you too.” Keith sniffed in his shoulder, fingers still twisted in his hair, “I have for so long. Ever since we were young and our fathers introduced us, I think I may have even loved you then. But I only knew when you called me back from Annwan.”

Lance felt his breath hitch, hopeful for those words and yet never expecting to hear them. It felt surreal to actually hear them as compared to wishing for it. He leaned his head forward, placing more kisses onto Keith’s face as the other’s chest began to glow, a beating heart moving into Lance’s hands.

The tanned King held it as gently as he could, and Keith could feel it, sniffing as he felt the new sensation throughout his body. He felt his heart beat contently, held within warm hands. The gentleness in which they were held made more tears come out, watching as Lance’s necklace appeared against the other’s chest, shining brightly as it did.

Just like Lance did, Keith watched and witnessed the moment his heart would find a new resting place. He watched as Lance leaned his heart against the blue gem stone of his necklace, the said gem gaining a new essence as his heart settled within it.

Lance had always planned to put Keith’s heart into the necklace whenever he got his hands on it, however, he never expected to lose his own heart in return. It was something he didn’t expect at the time, but now it felt so right that those thoughts he had before seemed ridiculous now.

Tanned arms moved around Keith, the both of them leaning close against each other, feeling their hearts within the items they were placed. Keith felt his heart pulse contently within the blue necklace, while Lance felt his own heart within the red gem of Keith’s crown.

The new sensation felt strange at first, but as time passed, they couldn’t shake off the feeling of how _right_  this felt. Keith let himself cry, not really able to remember when was the last time he allowed himself to shed tears. Lance held onto him as he did, a soft smile on his face as he held Keith close.

“Now we’re both fools.” Lance mused, feeling Keith’s heart beat in the necklace against his own chest. The pale King sniffed, burying his face closer to the other. The brunette closed his eyes, the smile still on his face, “Only fools conquer the sea.”

Keith looked up, their eyes meeting before they leaned closer to kiss. The kiss was passionate, just like all of their other kisses, and yet this one felt so much different from the rest. It was the first kiss they had now that they gave up their hearts to one another, adding a new flavour into something they’ve already grown fond of. Now it tasted even sweeter, more fulfilling.

It made them want to protect this sweetness from anyone else who might dare try it.

“You’re a fool.” Keith repeated, still shaken, “I can’t believe this… I can’t…”

“I feel nothing but praise from your words love.” Lance mused happily, “It’s the fools who get what they want in the end, risking everything to get that which they desire. In my case, I finally found the gold I was looking for. It was quite a chase, but it was worth it.”

“Spoken like a true idiot.” Keith huffed, but his arms remained around Lance, holding the other tightly, “This may very well have ruined our chase.”

“Oh no, the chase is still there.” Lance purred contently, his lips curving, “I don’t think I could ever stop chasing you love, now more than ever. You may have gotten my heart, but you’ll have to try a bit harder to hear my true name.”

“You might as well spare it.” Keith shots back, his arms refusing to leave their place around the tanned King, “I hold your heart in my hands now, and we’re all but wed.”

Keith paused for a moment, freezing a bit, before shaking again. He pulled away just enough, his face flushed from laughter as his eyes met Lance’s, “Our realms will end up becoming one now, you must know. Our poor servants, they must be so confused.”

Lance’s whole body jolted as he laughed, the sound coming from deep within his belly and resonating through their lover’s den, “I forgot about that! Oh, they must be panicking trying to figure out what’s wrong! Especially my new thrall!”

Keith whole face lit up, his laughter just as joyous and amused as Lance’s own, the most beautiful sound in the world right now as far as the tanned King was concerned, “I can imagine your servants scrambling to put out the fires of my kingdom!”

“And yours must be diving in the waters of mine!” Lance shot back, lost in the sheer _joy_  of the moment.

“You are aware that news of this will spread as soon as they put together what happened.” Keith’s chuckles where calming down now, “Word will have spread through all the realms before we even get to see our realm. Servants are terrible gossips.”

Our realm.

 _Their realm_. Meaning Keith would be there forever. Not so much under Lance’s thrall, like he’d always imagined, but right in Lance’s arms. Granted, he would be in Keith’s realm too, but their power would be equaled there. But even such a notion was enough to make Lance grin.

“Let them talk.” Lance grinned, pressing a kiss to his lover’s lips, “I don’t care. This isn’t a decision I’ll regret. Especially when I indulge my fantasies of taking you on my throne.”

“You’ll come to regret those words when our fathers find out.” Keith chuckled again, pressing his forehead to Lance’s, “Or our mothers. They’ll demand a wedding for the whole affair.”

“Good. I have a trophy to present to your mother anyway.” Lance’s fingers tightened around Keith, idly indicating towards the bag where the Seelie still lay with a tilt of the head, “Let everyone know I won you. Let them all see that you’re mine and mine alone now. I expect your promise of devotion to be kept.”

Keith groaned, his face flushing as he pressed a kiss to Lance’s jaw, “Always.”

“Always.” Lance promised in return, another kiss pressed to Keith, his own eyes fluttering as he spoke lightly, “We’ll have to show Oberon and Titania how thankful we are for this.”

Keith hummed, “We could steal that child.”

“Shiro would never forgive us.” Lance grinned, “Let’s just be as obnoxiously in love near them as we can. It will _infuriate_  them.”

“They may well forget their own conflict just to start one with us.” Keith chuckled, his eyes shining in amusement, “They may try to resolve it by trying to prove their the more passionate couple.”

“Impossible.” Lance stated confidently, “You’re too greedy to ever lose such a contest. I could fall out from exhaustion and you would still be going.”

Keith’s face twisted in delight, humming contently, “Only proves how great my love for you is.”

“Nope.” Lance shook his head, “It proves nothing but how greedy you are.” He reached down to touch a part of Keith’s tail he knew was sensitive, “I’ll be sure to tame that greediness of yours on my throne.”

“Can’t wait for it.” Keith purred, placing another kiss onto Lance’s jaw. They both remained in the tree for a while longer, waiting until they had enough strength to venture out and return to their new realm. It was exciting, especially at the prospect of knowing that the realms they knew had now changed drastically, mending into one.

They relished in their touches until they deemed themselves ready to leave, taking on their usual forms and putting on their clothes before getting out of the tree trunk. Once their power ceased supporting their creations, the tree returned back to its original state, now standing tall as if nothing ever happened inside.

Lance and Keith knew better though, and would always come back here to remember the times they gave each other their hearts. They decided to engrave their initials into the tree, wanting to see how the passage of time would affect it.

Lance held onto Keith’s hand, squeezing as he engraved the letter ‘L’ into the wood. Keith did the same, engraving ‘K’ right beside Lance’s name. The sight of it made Lance smile, glancing to the side at the being that was now his, in possession of his heart.

The truth is that Keith was always the one in possession of it, however, now he physically had in on him, carrying it as he was meant to all this time. Lance doubts that even the calls of the dead during Samhain would be able to take Keith away from him, nothing can reach him now. Not at this moment in the real world, nor in their realm where they were the strongest.

Lance squeezed Keith’s hand, turning to face his lover with a smile on his chase. He’d wanted to keep his real name and make Keith work for it, but just like Keith said, it may be pointless now that he’d given his heart to the other.

“Keith.” He gently pulled on Keith’s hand, getting his attention, “My real name is Lancelot.”

Keith inhales shapely, his hand gripping tightly around Lance’s own. He exhaled, breathing out his own name, “Yorak.”

Lance paused, blinking for a moment before bursting out into laughter, “Yorak?”

“My mother insisted. My father wanted to name me Akira but…” Keith winced a bit, “She just shut him down by bringing up Pyrell.”

Lance had to run when Keith chased him down after a solid minute of laughter, never stopping for even a moment as he was chased right back to their realm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MsBluebell: Done. Not our best work, but we loved writing it. It was fun to write. HAPPY HALLOWEEN GUYS!
> 
> BlueStarPaladin: Not our best work!? I loved it! You guys don't know what you're missing out on! Ehrm... I mean the people who didn't get to read this yet. I really enjoyed writing this and then making art for it too. I'll forever be salty that the art for this got so little notes on Tumblr since I worked on it for the longest time but... *sighs* it's what it is. Thank you for reading and Happy Halloween!!!
> 
> Chapter Betaed by the wonderful SilviaMoon.
> 
> Tumblr:  
> McBluebell: [msbluebell](http://msbluebell.tumblr.com/)  
> BlueStarPaladin: [starellas](https://starellas.tumblr.com/)


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